Trust again
by ilse23
Summary: The woman that Callen loves is put in harm's way because of his actions, so he thinks at least. Callen is feeling guilty because of that. Can he get to her in time to rescue her? But what will happen when he finds out that it's not his actions that have put her in harm's way. Can he trust her again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A new story. Callen/OC. Hope you like it.**

 **I don't own any of the NCISLA characters or the show. I just own my OC's**

* * *

Callen stretched himself in bed when he woke up after his alarm went off. He looked next to him and saw Zoya, his girlfriend, lying next to him. They had been officially together for about a year now, living together for six months. Zoya was half Russian. Her mother was Russian and her father was American. Zoya was two years younger than Callen, about his height and skinny but not too skinny. She had long dark wavey brown hair and green eyes. They met about three years ago when she moved in next door to Callen. No one in the team knew that Callen was in a serious relationship, except Sam and maybe Hetty because she knows everything.

"Good morning," Callen spoke.

"Good morning Grisha."

Zoya was actually the only one to call him Grisha and that was only sometimes. She had been so used to G. It had only been four weeks ago since Callen had found out his name.

Callen leaned over to give her a kiss. "I'm just gonna go for a run. Care to join me?"

"Yeah sure."

They ran together a lot. It's actually how they really got to know each other. They left around the same time to run one morning and they ended up running together. After that they ran a lot more together and they grew closer.

They changed into their running clothes and started their run. They ran for about six miles before going back home. Together they stood underneath the shower and had some fun before having breakfast.

"How late will you be home today?" Zoya asked when Callen was getting ready to leave.

"Not sure, depends on how busy it is at work. If we have a case I might have to stay longer. But I should be home around six I think. If it gets later I will call you okay," Callen told her and gave her a kiss.

"Alright that's good. Have a good day."

"Thanks, you too."

Callen gave her one more kiss before he left when Sam arrived. Just before they moved in together Callen had told her what he really does for a living after he had been shot on the job. He felt like he could really trust her. Every day he was opening up to her more and more, sharing more and more with him. She was the only person he had told his real name to. He told her things he didn't even tell Sam. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone to come home to at the end of the day. Callen really liked spending time with Zoya. He felt like maybe he could see himself settling down with her. After Callen left Zoya got ready to go to work.

"Morning G," Sam greeted his partner as Callen got in the car.

"Morning Sam."

"How are things with you and Zoya?"

"They are good. I like living together with her and I really like her."

"She seems like a great woman."

"She is. I'm really happy where I'm at right now."

"See I told you, it would be great for you to be in a relationship," Sam smiled at his partner.

"Yeah, yeah," Callen sighed but he knew that his partner was right. He had really changed since he had met Zoya.

"How is she with you being an agent?"

"It's still a bit getting used to for her, I can tell she worries about me."

"That's because she cares about you G. Michelle knows what the job is like but that doesn't mean she doesn't worry about me. Just make sure you come back to her every day."

"I have you to make sure of that," Callen smirked.

"You damn right, without me you would have been dead ten times already."

"What? You're saying I'm not careful?"

"Not when you go off on your own."

"I don't do that that often."

"Seriously G? It would be a lot more often if I wasn't there to back you up, even if you don't want me to or think you need me to."

"What can I say? I know you're always there to have my back…. And I have yours partner."

"That's good to know."

Just after they arrived at work Eric whistled them up.

"What have we got Eric?" Callen asked as they walked into OPS.

"This morning LAPD responded to an explosion downtown. When the bomb squad arrived at the scene they found some remains of the explosives. It were military grade explosives so they called us. I've checked with Pendleton and they reported a shipment of military grade explosives missing last night. It was supposed to arrive at Pendleton last night but it never showed," Eric explained.

"What was the target?" Callen asked.

"City center downtown, the middle of the shopping area."

"Any casualties?"

"Two so far but a lot wounded."

"Alright, Kensi, Deeks, work with Eric and Nell, see what you can found out about the missing shipment or whoever detonated this bomb. Sam and I will head over to the scene."

"Got it," Kensi spoke.

With everyone knowing what to do they went to work. Sam drove him and Callen to the crime scene. They showed their badges to get onto the scene. They gloved up and started looking through the remains. The bomb techs had already assembled some pieces of the bomb so Sam went to look at that to see if he could find something on that.

"Do you know where the bomb detonated?" Sam asked one of the bomb techs.

"Point of origin seems to be underneath the bench here. The bomb was probably strapped underneath the bench or in a bag or something."

Sam looked around and noticed that there were several cameras around.

"Eric," Sam spoke through his com. "Check the cameras south of the fountain, the bench opposite from it. It seems like that was the point of origin."

"Got it Sam," Eric responded.

Callen looked at what was left of the sight, maybe whoever detonated the bomb had left something behind. After an hour of searching through the crime scene they returned to the office without any real new information.

"Did you guys find anything?" Callen asked Kensi and Deeks as they walked back into the bullpen.

"Not much. Eric is still tracking the cameras, so far he hasn't spotting anything out of the ordinary and no one has claimed the attack yet. We did get in touch with Pendleton. They said that there was enough C4 on that truck to level the city," Kensi told them.

"We only found about five percent of that at the crime scene," Sam informed the others.

"So what do they have planned with the other ninety-five percent?" Deeks wondered.

"Nothing good," Callen stated. "Did Pendleton tell you about the route the truck would take?"

"Yeah, Eric and Nell are checking it," Kensi answered.

"Okay good."

Callen and Sam sat behind their desks and waited to hear back from their two techs upstairs.

It was about two hours later when Eric and Nell came downstairs.

"We may have something," Eric announced as he and Nell stepped into the bullpen. Eric typed something on his tablet and something appeared on the big screen in the bullpen. "We looked at the security cameras where the bomb was detonated. Now we didn't see anything really, there was just this."

Eric played the footage. They could see a city worker, who cleaned the area, appear near the bench. His cart was placed in front of the bench, blocking the view of the bench. He bent down and a little later he got back up and walked through. The time stamp was early this morning.

"It's nothing concrete but it appears that this man would have placed the bomb, no one else jumped out."

"Any other camera angles?" Callen asked.

"No and we don't get a clear picture of his face on any of the cameras in the area, like he was avoiding them."

"What about the city workers that were scheduled to work in that area around that time?" Sam wanted to know.

"We've checked," Nell continued. "But the persons that were supposed to work that area at that time don't match the description of the man we saw on screen." Nell put three pictures up on the screen. The man they had seen on the screen was Caucasian, the pictures Nell had put on the screen weren't. They were for several different cultures, one was Hispanic, one Japanese and one was Afro-American.

"Are they all accounted for?" Kensi asked.

"Yes they are. According to the company they were all at that shopping area. They had checked in this morning and left just a little after 7am. They used a company van which has GPS. We tracked it and it showed up at the shopping area. Luckily that spot had cameras and we saw all three of them stepping out of the van and they grabbed their gear but a little later we saw one of them stepping away from the main area to clear out some garbage cans of the stores. Now we don't have security cameras at that exact spot but one close."

Nell put some footage on the screen and played it. They saw the Hispanic guy stepping out of the picture. A little later a man that appeared to look like him stepped out but further down they saw it was the man that planted the bomb. Once the bomb was planted he went back into blind spot but he never reappeared on any camera again.

"We've checked the entire shopping area but this man never showed up on screen anywhere."

"What about Lopez?" Callen asked. Lopez was the Hispanic man.

"He was found unconscious a little later. He's in the hospital right now. LAPD questioned him already but that was before the bombing."

"Kensi, Deeks, why don't you go talk to him, see if he knows who attacked him. We'll visit the company," Callen spoke.

All four agents left. Sam drove him and Callen to the city cleaning company.

"Agents Callen and Hanna," Callen told to front desk lady as they showed their badges. "We're here to talk to your boss."

"Is this about the bombing this morning?"

"Yes it is, what do you know about it?"

"Not much, just what I've heard in the news. I'll get my boss."

The receptionist called the boss and told him he was requested at the front desk.

"Hi, I'm Frank Halsey," the boss introduced themselves.

"Agent Callen, agent Hanna, NCIS, we're here to talk to you about this morning bombing downtown," Callen replied.

"Yes, follow me to my office, we'll talk." Callen and Sam followed the man to the office and sat down on the chairs. "I suppose you're here about Lopez."

"Yes. We believe he was used. We checked security cameras and Lopez went into the camera blind spot where he was found. A little later a man that look like him at first sight stepped out and went to the bench. We believe he planted the bomb there. Once it was done he went back into the blind spot. A little after that Lopez was found there beaten."

"I've never had any problems with Lopez here neither than any of his co-workers. He's an outstanding employee, hard-working, always on time. He's a great guy."

"Anything seem off about Lopez or the other two guys that were assigned to the shopping center this morning?" Sam asked.

"No nothing, they are all three outstanding workers. I would be shocked if any of them had anything to do with this bombing."

Callen pulled up his phone and showed Frank a picture of the guy that they thought planted the bomb. "Do you recognize him?"

"No, I've never seen him before. Is he the guy that set the bomb?"

"We believe so. May we look through their belongings here at work, maybe something is there that will point us into a right direction?"

"Yeah sure, go ahead. I'll have Laura show you where it is."

"Thank you."

Callen and Sam looked through the belongings but nothing jumped out at them. With the help of Eric and Nell they checked the computers at work but nothing jumped out either. Once they were done they went back to the office. Kensi and Deeks just arrived shortly after them.

"Anything at the hospital?"

"Lopez should be okay but he has no idea who attacked him and he said he'd never seen the man we think set the bomb," Kensi spoke.

"He could have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time," Deeks added.

"How did you guys make out?"

"Nothing. We're back to square one again."

"Maybe not," Eric spoke as he and Nell came downstairs. "Bomb techs found a cell phone that was used as a trigger. They send it over here. It was pretty crispy but we managed to get something off of it. We checked the call logs and found a number that called this cell phone around the time of detonation. We traced the phone but the phone that called this phone was a burn phone so no luck there."

"Is it still on?" Callen asked.

"No, it's been deactivated, battery has probably been removed cus I can't turn it on again. But we did manage to track where the phone was when it made the call."

A red dot appeared on the screen.

"That's near the explosion sight," Sam remarked.

"That's correct."

"He probably stayed there to watch his handy work," Deeks said.

"Any luck tracking who it was that called?" Callen asked.

"No, we checked the footage but there were too many people there and too many people were using their phones so we had no luck. But we were able to track the phone some more. After the explosion the phone sent out a text message saying it's done from about hundred feet from the explosion sight. That's also were the last signal came from. Now fortunately that point has a camera. We checked it. There were several people using their phones there but there's only one who tossed the phone into a recycling bin after the text was received." Eric put some footage on the screen. "Now we can't see his face here but we got lucky a little further down the street. We spotted a police car drive by so we checked the dashboard cameras and it got a clear image of our guy." Eric put a picture up on the screen.

"We ran facial reg," Nell continued. "Fortunately for us he was in the system somewhere. His name is Paul Harris, American."

"Now what does he have against this country that makes him wanna blow it up?" Deeks questioned.

"Maybe not so much against the country as against the city of Los Angeles. We found several drafted threating letters to the mayor and the LAPD in his email account. It appears that they were meant to be send out after the explosion this morning. He said in the letters that the city needed to pay for what they had done."

"What did they do according to Harris?" Kensi wanted to know.

"His wife and kid died about a month ago. They were killed in the crossfire. There was a police shootout and they were caught in the crossfire. Harris thinks the police should have done a better job at protecting them, getting them out of the line of fire."

"Where they killed by cops?" Callen asked.

"No the bad guys they were chasing," Eric answered. "But Harris still thinks that it's the police's fault that they died."

"So he's bombing LA?" Deeks remarked. "That makes no sense. It he wanted to hurt the people he thinks are responsible he would go after the cops."

"Maybe this was just a warning shot," Sam spoke. "We know he has a lot more C4. What if he's gonna use the rest to kill cops?"

"Do we know what could be his next target?" Callen asked.

"Still working on that."

"Do you have an address on Harris?"

"Yeah, he lives in Culver city, address is on your phones," Nell told them.

"Great thanks, lets gear up."

They grabbed their gear and left for the address. They took the explorer. Sam parked it a little down the street. Carefully they approached the house. Kensi and Deeks went around back as Callen and Sam went to the front. Sam knocked on the door.

"Paul Harris! Federal agents! Open up!" Sam yelled.

They heard some rumbling inside. Sam kicked in the door and immediately shots were fired at them. Kensi and Deeks burst in through the back door.

"Federal agents! Down on your knees!" Kensi yelled as they approached from behind.

Harris turned around with his gun still raised.

"Don't be stupid Harris, but the gun down!" Sam yelled.

"This city needs to pay for what they've done."

"Not like this. Put the gun down Harris."

Harris didn't put his gun down. Callen saw that he was ready to shoot. Without thinking twice Callen shot Harris in his arms with his SIG causing Harris to drop his gun. Kensi moved in and cuffed him. Callen and Sam went to search the house as Kensi and Deeks stayed with Harris. Callen and Sam found some of the remaining missing explosives.

"You really pulled off stealing the explosives all by yourself?" Deeks asked.

"Nothing to it. Just a matter of striking at the right time." Deeks and Kensi could tell he was lying however.

"Why this way?"

"The city needed to pay. The cops needed to pay."

"So you just blow up innocent people?" Kensi asked.

"My wife was innocent!" Harris yelled.

"I'm not saying that she wasn't but do you really want other people to feel how you feel?"

"I just wanted them to pay for what they did."

"Well now you can think about it for a long time in prison," Deeks spoke and he took Harris away.

Sam and Callen found the other people that were connected with this case. They had helped Harris steal the C4 providing they could us some of the C4 too. Once they wrapped up at the scene the agents went back to the office. They had already given the names to Eric and Nell. Once they were found the team went after them and arrested them. They also found the rest of the missing C4.

They finished their paperwork before going home.

"Hey Zoya," Callen greeted as he walked into the house.

"Hey G," Zoya greeted back. "I'm in the kitchen."

Callen walked into the kitchen where Zoya was making dinner and gave her a kiss.

"How was your day? Did you have to investigate that explosion downtown?"

"Yeah we did. It turned out it was a guy who was angry with the city. His wife and kid were caught in the crossfire during a police shootout. The bad guys shot them. He was angry that the police didn't make sure his wife was safe."

"That's just crazy."

"Tell me about it."

"Did you catch him though?"

"Of course."

"Good. Dinner is almost ready, can you set the table?"

"Of course."

Callen set the table and they had dinner.

"How was your day?" Callen asked.

"It was good. Little busy but good, managed to cell a lot of clothes today so that's good."

Zoya worked as a personal shopper, often helping the rich and famous that lived in Los Angeles.

…

Just as Callen sat down in the bullpen Eric whistled them up.

"We've got an urgent case guys," Eric spoke and he went back upstairs, knowing the others would follow him.

"What's up Eric?" Callen asked as they walked into OPS.

"We just received this encrypted message. It took us a while to decrypt it but when we did it turned out to be a video file."

"Play it."

Eric put the video on the big screen. "Unfortunately it doesn't have audio."

Eric played the video and Callen couldn't believe his eyes. On the screen was Zoya, his Zoya., tied to a chair and being beaten on.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do we know who the woman is?" Kensi asked.

"No not yet," Eric answered.

"It's Zoya, Zoya Foster," Callen spoke.

"Who's Zoya Foster?" Deeks asked.

"My girlfriend," Callen admitted causing Deeks and Kensi to look at him with an OMG face.

"You have a girlfriend? Since when?" Deeks asked.

"About a year. Eric, do we know who took her?"

"No, nothing yet. We just received this video."

"Find out everything you can. See if you can find out from where they took her. Does the man ever show his face on the screen?"

"No never."

"Okay, let me know the minute you find something."

Callen hated it but right now there wasn't much more to do than wait until the wonder twins would find something. He was about to step out of OPS when Hetty stepped in.

"Mr. Callen, your presence is requested in the boatshed," Hetty spoke.

"By whom?"

"Agent Peterson, NCIS."

"NCIS? Why does a NCIS agent want to talk to me in the boatshed?"

"He'll explain everything to you. Now go, he's waiting for you."

Callen left OPS not knowing what was going on. Sam wanted to go after him but Hetty stopped him.

"Just Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna."

"What is going on Hetty? What does this have to do with the case?" Sam demanded to know.

"It's classified, for Mr. Callen only. If he wants to share the information with you it's up to him." Sam didn't like not knowing what was going on, especially if his partner was involved. "You best focus on the case at hand."

At that Hetty left and the agents and techs went to find out any information they could concerning Zoya.

Callen drove to the boatshed. Why the hell did a NCIS agent want to meet him at the boatshed? And what did this have to do with Zoya? All he could think of right now was that his girlfriend was in harm's way and he had probably put her there. Someone must have found out he was NCIS and went after Zoya, an easy way to get to him. Were it Comescus again? Callen opened the door and found agent Peterson waiting for him there.

"Hello," Callen spoke as he walked into the main room.

"Hello agent Callen, thanks for coming," Peterson replied and shook Callen's hand.

"Can you make this quick? We're working a case right now, my girlfriend has been taken."

"That's why I'm here and wanted to talk to you."

"You know about Zoya? How?"

"She's one of us."

"One of us? A NCIS agent?"

"Yes she is."

Callen couldn't believe his ears. Zoya, his Zoya, was a NCIS agent just like him? How could that be? She told him that she was a personal shopper but now she was a NCIS agent just like him?

"Why wouldn't she tell me this? I'm a NCIS agent too."

"She couldn't tell you. Her job was to be kept secret."

"A secret? Even from me?! What's more secretive than the OSP?"

"It's a combined agency for NCIS and Homeland Security. The OTA, the office of terrorist attacks."

"I've been a federal agent for years, I've never heard of it."

"That's good. We work in secret."

"What is it that you do?"

"We support our troops overseas in catching terrorist and locally we catch people who have carried out terrorist attacks or are trying to carry out terrorist attacks on US soil. We have about fifteen offices nationwide."

"Why couldn't she tell me? I know what it's like to keep a secret."

"I understand agent Callen, but the more people know about it the more dangerous it becomes for our agents. She wanted to tell you often, trust me on that."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"She's in danger and we need your help." Patterson handed Callen a flash drive. "Here's everything we have on the group Zoya was tracking. If you find anything please let us know, we'll do the same. Here's my card. I'm sorry you had to find out like this. We'll get her back agent Callen."

Patterson left. Callen stood there staring at the flash drive and the business card. He couldn't believe that Zoya was a NCIS agent just like him and that he had lied to her about it. Okay, he had lied in the beginning too about who he really was. But once he told her she could have told him about her job, he would have understood. Why didn't she tell him? Finally he felt like he had a good thing going with her but now she had lied to him. Callen took a deep breath and shoved those feelings for now. He needed to find Zoya. With the flash drive he went back to the office and he went upstairs to OPS, causing looks from the agents who were sitting down in the bullpen.

"Eric, Nell, see what you can get of this," Callen spoke as he handed Eric the flash drive.

"What's this?" Eric asked.

"Agent Patterson handed it to me. It's all the information they have about the case Zoya was working."

"Case? She's an agent too?" Nell asked.

"As it turns out yeah, she's one of us. So see what you can find."

"Will do," Eric replied.

Callen left OPS and went downstairs. He walked to Hetty's office.

"Did you know Hetty?" Callen asked straight forward.

"No I didn't, not until agent Patterson told me. I didn't even know the office existed."

Callen looked at her, she seemed to be telling the truth. Callen took a deep sigh and went to the bullpen.

"What's going on G?" Sam asked.

"Zoya is one of us."

"One of us? A NCIS agent you mean?"

"Yeah, she's working at this joint Homeland Security office for NCIS, the office of terrorist attacks."

"I've never heard of that."

"Me neither."

"Hold up," Kensi spoke. "Your girlfriend is a NCIS agent and you didn't know about it?"

"No, agent Patterson said the office is a secret just like ours. That's why she couldn't tell me."

"You're a fellow NCIS agent, she could have told you. You know what it's like to work in a secret office."

"I know. I'll see about that later, right now our focus is on finding her. Agent Patterson gave me a flash drive with everything they have so far on the group Zoya was tracking. Eric and Nell are looking through it now."

Sam could tell that his partner was really upset that Zoya hadn't trusted him enough to tell him she was a NCIS agent. Callen stood up from his desk and went to the shooting range. He needed to let off some steam.

When Callen got out of the shooting range Sam was waiting for him in the armory.

"Well I think you killed them all," Sam spoke.

"Why couldn't she have trusted me? I'm a NCIS agent too. I know what it's like to work in a secret office."

"I don't know G. Maybe her superiors forbid her."

"I'm a NCIS agent too, I would have understood."

"I know that G."

"It took a lot for me to tell her that I was a special agent. I could tell she was trying to deal with it all, but maybe now she was trying to hide that she was one too. Maybe she knew all along that I was a federal agent."

"You'll have to ask her that G. We will find her G."

"I don't know what I should be more right now, angry at her or concerned about her."

Sam stood in front of his partner and put his hands on Callen's shoulder.

"We will find her G and we'll bring her back safely. You two can talk later. You two have a good thing, don't throw it away."

"I don't know if I can trust her again."

"You can G, you can. You love her. If anyone understands what it's like to keep secrets it's you. You two can work this out." Sam removed his hands from Callen's shoulders.

"I guess now I know what it's like to be on the other side," Callen joked.

"It's never easy to keep secrets from your loved ones, but we do it with good reason. I'm sure she was just trying to protect you."

"When Eric showed me the video I was scared that Zoya had been captured by one of my enemies, how wrong was I."

"We'll get her back G. Eric and Nell will find her."

Callen and Sam went back to the bullpen. About an hour later Nell and Eric came down the stairs.

"We had contact with the OTA and we believe we found a location on Zoya. We believe she's being held in this warehouse in Culver City," Eric told them.

"What about the people who have her?" Callen asked.

"According to the OTA, it's this group," Eric answered and he put several ID's on screen. "According to the intel they were planning an attack here in Los Angeles with several nuclear bombs. Zoya and a few of her fellow agents were checking out a lead but it turned out to be a trap and they captured her."

"When was she taken?"

"This morning, around 8.30am."

"Zoya left early this morning, around 7.30am. She told me she had to go help a client. Are you sure she's in that warehouse?"

"Well, the warehouse is in a camera blind spot but the vehicle that the terrorists got away with was tracked to this street. This warehouse is the only building on the block that doesn't have security cameras. We checked the other buildings, they are all legit businesses and all have private security cameras. We checked their feeds and didn't catch Zoya or the van on any of these. On the other end of the street is another camera and it didn't catch the van leaving. There's no other way out of this street."

"Alright, inform the OTA have them meet us at this address."

"Already did, they are on route," Nell answered.

"Alright, let's gear up guys."

They all grabbed their gear and went to the address. When they arrived OTA was already waiting for them on the corner. Agent Patterson was there too. Callen walked up to him.

"Any movement inside?" Callen asked.

"We haven't spotted anything but the van is still in front."

"Alright. One team around back and one team around front."

"Just what I was thinking."

Kensi and Deeks and some agents of the OTA went around back as Callen and Sam joined agent Patterson and some other agents on the front.

"On three," Callen spoke. He and Patterson counted down and the agents breached the warehouse. They immediately came across some hostiles and shot them. They cleared the building room by room and floor by floor. Callen and Sam came across a locked steal door, no way they could kick this in and it had a keypad so they couldn't lock pick it.

"Cover me Sam."

Sam stood watch as Callen crouched down. He took the keypad apart. He attached a device to one of the wires.

"Eric, are you getting this?"

"Yes getting it. Trying to get the code now." Eric typed fast on his keyboard. After a few minutes he found it. "Alright Callen, the code is two four two three five."

"Thanks Eric."

Callen removed the device, put the keypad back together and pressed the code. The lights on the keypad turned green. Carefully Callen opened the door slightly. The room seemed dark. Callen stood back up and grabbed his rifle. He looked at Sam who nodded. With their rifles drawn, and their flashlights turned on, Callen moved the door open further. They scanned the room, at first sight no one seemed to be in here but then they saw someone sitting on a chair. Callen looked closely, it was Zoya, she seemed to be unconscious. Callen and Sam scanned the room further but they didn't see anyone. Callen saw a lamp hanging above Zoya with a string on it. Callen and Sam stepped further into the room and Callen pulled on the string. The light went on and Callen and Sam saw a battered Zoya hanging in the chair, she was unconscious indeed.

"We found Zoya," Callen spoke. "Eric, we need an ambulance."

"On its way," came the response from the tech.

Carefully Sam went to undo Zoya's restrains. Callen caught her when she fell forward. Carefully he lowered her down onto the floor. He checked her pulse, she was still alive but her pulse was very weak. Agent Patterson came into the room.

"How is she?"

"She's still alive but she's badly beaten. We've already called for an ambulance."

A few minutes later the ambulance was there. They stabilized her and loaded her up into the ambulance.

"Can I ride with you?" Callen asked the paramedics.

"Sorry sir, only family members."

"I'm her boyfriend. Please."

"Alright, for just this once."

Callen handed his gear off to Sam and climbed in the back of the ambulance. The paramedic worked on her as they drove to the hospital. In the ER she was quickly taken into the trauma room. Callen stood outside and watched as the doctors worked on his girlfriend. She had been through a lot by the looks of it. The men had beaten her up pretty good. A little later they came rushing out of the trauma room and took her upstairs for surgery. Callen went up with them and sat in the waiting area.

A little later agent Patterson joined Callen in the waiting area.

"Any word on her?" Patterson asked.

"No nothing yet, she's in surgery. It looked pretty bad."

"She's tough, she'll pull through."

"Did you find the guys you were looking for?"

"Yeah the guys at the warehouse were the guys we had been tracking. The case is solved."

"That's good. Hopefully they didn't get anything out of Zoya."

"She would never give them anything. She won't crack. It's probably why she was beaten up badly, cus she didn't give them anything."

Two hours later the doctor came out into the waiting area. Callen stepped up to him followed by Patterson.

"How is she doctor?"

"She had some internal bleedings but we repaired those. She also has a fractured wrist, shoulder and a few ribs. Other than that a few bruises and cuts."

"Will she be okay?"

"With time she should be okay."

"Can I see her?"

"Yeah of course right this way."

Callen looked at Patterson. "You go ahead. I have to head back to the office. I'll be back later to check on her."

Callen followed the doctor to Zoya's room. Callen stood still in the doorway. She looked pale, besides the bruises that had already formed on her face. Callen walked up to her and sat down on the chair next to her bed. He carefully grabbed her uninjured arm.

"I'll be back later to check on her," the doctor spoke and left the room.

Callen looked at his girlfriend lying on the bed. He really hoped she would be okay. Sam was right, he loved her and they could work through this. But how was he going to trust her again? He had opened up to her, more than he did with anyone. She could have told him she was a NCIS agent just like him.

"Please honey, I need you to be okay. Please be okay Zoya. I love you. But why didn't you just tell me? I would have understood. Why didn't you trust me?"

Callen wondered what it would be like when she would wake up. Was he ready to forgive her already?

A little later the doctor walked back into the room.

"We did some additional test on her, just to make sure everything was okay. I had a colleague look over the scans just be sure."

"Is something wrong with her?"

"Well not wrong but we discovered she was pregnant."


	3. Chapter 3

Callen couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She _was_ pregnant?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Cus of her injuries she lost the baby, I'm sorry."

Callen couldn't believe it. Not only was she pregnant but she had lost the baby as well. "When will she wake up?"

"We're keeping her under for now so her body can heal. We'll check tomorrow to see how much her body has healed. Once we reduce her medication she should wake up in a few hours, but right now her body is too weak so we're keeping her under. I'll keep you updated on her condition. Has her family been contacted yet?"

"I don't know if her parents have been called yet but I will see to that."

"Alright, I'll be back later."

The doctor left the room and Callen looking at his girlfriend lying on the bed. Did she know that she was pregnant? Probably not, otherwise she wouldn't have gone out in the field, right? Callen's mind was so conflicted right now. He loved her but he didn't know if he could trust her again. After everything he told her about who he was and what he went through she still lied to him. Could he ever get past that and trust her again? Right now he felt angry and betrayed by her lies but on the other hand he was very worried about her and he hoped that she would be okay.

Callen stepped out of the room to make some calls. Callen first dialed the number of agent Patterson.

"Agent Patterson," he answered the phone.

"Hello, this is agent Callen."

"Ah hello. How is Zoya doing?"

"They are keeping her under for now so her body can heal but the doctor think she should be okay."

"Ah okay that's good."

"Have her parents been notified yet?"

"No not yet."

"Oh okay, I will give them a call."

"You can't tell them that she's an agent."

"I know that, I'm used to that."

"Alright. I'll check in on her later."

Callen hung up the phone and searched for the number to Zoya's parents on his phone. Callen first called the home phone. After a few rings the phone was answered.

"Vera Foster speaking," Zoya's mother answered the phone.

"Hey Vera, it's Grisha."

"Hi hello Grisha, how are you?"

"I'm okay, I'm actually calling about Zoya."

"Is everything okay?"

"Zoya was in an accident, she's in the hospital right now."

"Oh my god, is she okay?"

"She has a couple of fractures, cuts and bruises and she had some internal bleedings but the doctor said she should be fine."

"Oh thank god. Thank you for calling. In which hospital is she?"

"She's at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, ICU, room fourteen."

"Alright thank you. I'll tell Ethan. Ethan is at work right now but I'll be right there."

"Alright that's fine. See you later."

Callen hung up the phone and called Hetty.

"Hello, Mr. Callen," Hetty answered the phone. "How is Ms. Foster?"

"She just got out of surgery. She had some internal bleedings but they were able to repair them. She also has some fractures and bruises. The doctor is keeping her sedated for now so her body can heal, but they said she should be fine."

"That's good to hear."

"Would it be okay if I stayed here?"

"Sure that's fine Mr. Callen, it's late in the afternoon already so. But I expect you back here in the morning."

"Yes I will Hetty."

"Alright, take care Mr. Callen."

"I will Hetty."

Callen hung up the phone and went back into the room. Twenty minutes later Vera showed up.

"Hello Grisha," Vera spoke as she walked into the room.

"Hello Vera." Callen stood up and Vera gave him a hug.

Vera looked at her daughter lying on the bed. She looked to be in bad shape. "What happened?"

"She was hit by a car, but don't worry she's gonna be okay."

"When will she wake up?"

"They are keeping her under for now so her body can heal. The doctor will assess in the morning again."

"My poor baby," Vera spoke and she grabbed Zoya's hand. "Please be okay sweetie."

In the evening Ethan, Zoya's father, stopped by as well. After visiting hours were over they all went home. Callen gave the nurse his number so they could call him if something changed.

"Hang in there Grisha, she'll be alright," Vera told him when they were downstairs.

"I hope so."

"She will be, she's strong."

Callen got in his car and drove home. He was still trying to process everything that had happened today. He needed to clear his head so he pulled his running clothes on and went for a run. He ran towards the beach. At a viewing point he stopped and leaned on the railing. He overlooked the ocean as a million thoughts went through his head.

Why didn't Zoya just tell him the truth? Could he ever trust Zoya again? Was what they had real? Did she really love him? Did she trust him? Did she know she was pregnant? Did she know he was a federal agent before he told her?

Callen stood there for a while before running back home. He took a nice long shower and just let the water run down his head. Once dressed again Callen grabbed himself a beer and just sat outside on the deck. For now he was worried about Zoya and when she would wake up but after that, they would need to talk. Callen had no idea how that would go. Could he ever forgive her for lying to him? Okay he had done it to her as well, but he told her the truth because he trusted her. She could have told him who she really was then. He would have understood. He's a secret agent as well, he knows what it's like. Why didn't she just tell him? They both work for NCIS, they are both special agents and they both work out of a secret office. Why didn't she just tell him?

Just past midnight Callen went to bed but he knew he wouldn't get much sleep tonight, not after everything that had happened. Besides the lies and the condition Zoya was in there was something else on his mind. She had been pregnant with his baby, he was pretty certain it was his baby. Even though she hadn't told him the truth about her job, she wouldn't have slept with someone else, right? He and Zoya had made a baby together. He had never thought about becoming a father. He didn't think he'd be any good at it. He and Zoya had never talked about having kids. Callen felt it was too early in their relationship for a kid. But if Zoya hadn't lost the baby, would they have been okay with a baby? Callen wasn't sure what to think, he had never thought about having kids, well not seriously anyway. But with Zoya Callen could see himself settling down and perhaps a family down the road, but now…. He would have to get past the lies first. It would be so easy to just walk away now because she had betrayed him, she hadn't trusted him. How could he get ever past that? But something inside of him told him to stay, to not walk away from Zoya. He really did love her, she stayed with him after he told her the truth. She had forgiven him for his lies. Shouldn't he do the same in return then? But it was different for him. Zoya didn't have the same childhood as he did, she had parents, a family, around her to grow up in. She didn't have the same trust issues as he did. He had finally let her in and let her peak over his walls. They were living together now. All this had been a huge step for Callen. He hadn't done this before in his life. There had been no one that made him feel like he does when he's with Zoya. So she had lied to him, if anyone could understand the reasons it was him. For the same reasons he had lied to her. But he told her the truth, why couldn't she?

Like Callen had predicted he didn't get much sleep. He was mostly up, practicing his languages or pulling the kitchen appliances apart. Before going to work Callen stopped by the hospital. When Callen walked in the doctor was just checking up on Zoya.

"How is she doctor?" Callen asked.

"She made it through the night just fine. Her body is starting a heal already."

"How long till you can reduce her medications?"

"Her body is still weak. We're gonna keep her under for now. We'll know more about her condition in the evening. But for now it's going good. I'll will keep you updated if there are changes during the day."

"Thank you."

The doctor left the room and Callen walked up to Zoya.

"Hey Zoya," Callen spoke and gave her a soft kiss on her head. "I hope you're gonna be okay. I'm worried about you. I still love you Zoya, it might take some time but I think we can work through this. I've gotta go to work but I'll stop by later tonight."

Callen gave Zoya on more kiss on her head before leaving for work.

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen.

"Morning," Kensi, Deeks and Sam replied.

"How's Zoya?" Sam asked.

"She made it through the night okay but the doctor is still keeping her sedated for now but he says she's on the right path."

"Okay that's good."

Sam wanted to ask Callen how he was doing with all of this but he knew better than to bring this up right now at work with the two juniors in the bullpen with them. It was a pretty quiet day so the agents could catch up on some paperwork and old cases. It was just past 5pm when Callen left. He went home to get something to eat before going to the hospital. When he walked into the room Vera and Ethan were already there.

"Good evening," Callen greeted them.

"Good evening Grisha," Vera greeted back.

"How is she?"

"No change yet. The nurse told us the doctor will be in shortly to talk to us, to update us on her condition."

"Oh okay."

About twenty minutes later the doctor came into the room.

"She's doing well considering everything that happened to her," the doctor started. "Her condition is improving already. We'll keep her sedated for tonight and then in the morning will review her vitals and injuries and we'll determine when we will pull her out of it. For now it's best that her body stays sedates. But with everything that I'm seeing here she should make a full recovery."

"Thank you doctor," Ethan said.

The doctor left the room. Ethan, Vera and Callen stayed until visiting hours are over. Vera and Ethan already stepped out of the room.

"You guys go ahead, I want a minute alone with Zoya," Callen told them.

"Of course," Vera replied and she and Ethan left.

Callen walked up to the bed and grabbed Zoya's uninjured arm. "Please be okay honey. I love you sweetie."

Callen gave her a soft kiss on her head before walking out as well. At the nurse's desk he saw Zoya's doctor.

"Excuse me doctor, can I ask you something?"

"Oh yes of course."

"You told me that Zoya had been pregnant when she was in the accident. Do you know how far along she was?"

"I'd have to check the records. I don't know if my colleague determined that." The doctor pressed a few keys on the tablet. "It seems like she was five weeks along."

"Alright, thank you doctor. Is there a chance she didn't know herself?"

"Yes it's possible. Some women don't find out until they are like eight weeks. Some women keep having their period, especially during the first few months."

"Okay thank you doctor."

Callen left the hospital and went home. He hoped that Zoya would wake up soon. He needed her to be okay. Where they would go after that Callen didn't know yet, but despite everything that had happened he needed her to be okay. Once she would be okay Callen had to tell her about the baby and that they had lost it. Callen had no idea how to tell her something like that. Hopefully Zoya would be okay and with her fractures she couldn't work for a while. He wondered how that would be like. If she was anything like himself it would be no fun for her to sit at home. Once he was home he called Hetty.

"Hello Mr. Callen, is there something I can do for you this evening?" Hetty answered the phone.

"Hi Hetty, I was wondering if it's possible if I could come in a little later tomorrow. The doctor said he would review Zoya's vitals in the morning to see when they would pull her out of the coma."

"Of course Mr. Callen, you can go see her then tomorrow."

"Thank you Hetty."

"How is she doing?"

"The doctor said everything is going fine so far, he sees no reason right now why she wouldn't make a full recovery."

"Okay that's good. I'll see you later tomorrow then."

"Thank you Hetty."

…

The next morning Callen went to the hospital just after 9am. He had texted Sam already that he didn't need to come pick him up. When he walked into Zoya's room the doctor was just examining her.

"Ah Mr. Callen, good morning."

"Good morning doctor. How is she doing?"

"She's doing very well. I was actually just about the lower her medication."

"Her body is ready for her to be awake?"

"Yes it is. She will need to take it easy for a while and get enough rest but she's healing already."

"That's great. How long will it take for her to wake up?"

"It's hard to see, somewhere between now and a few hours."

"Can I maybe stay here? I would like to be there when she wakes up."

"Of course sir."

"Thank you."

Once the doctor was finished he left the room. Callen momentarily stepped out of the room to call Hetty again. He needed to work today but he also needed to be here when Zoya woke up. If they had no immediate cases he could maybe stay here.

"Hello Mr. Callen, how is everything going?"

"Hello Hetty, everything is going fine. The doctor just reduced Zoya's medication so she should wake up soon. I would like to be there when she wakes up. Given we have no immediate cases I would like to stay here today."

"Of course Mr. Callen, but I expect you to come in if we get an urgent case."

"Of course Hetty. Thank you."

"You're welcome Mr. Callen."

Callen hung up the phone and went back into the room. Once Hetty had placed the phone back on the machine she stood up and walked to the bullpen.

"Mr. Callen will not come in today unless we get an urgent case," Hetty announced. "So Mr. Hanna, you'll be temporarily team leader."

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked.

"Yes, the doctor has reduced Zoya's medication and Mr. Callen would like to be there when she wakes up. Now back to work everyone."

..

Callen sat back down next to the bed and grabbed Zoya's hand.

It had been five hours already since the doctor had reduced Zoya's medication but she still wasn't awake yet. Callen wondered if something was wrong but the doctor assured him everything was fine, these things take time sometimes.

"Excuse me sir," a nurse spoke as she walked into the room. "There's a call for you at the desk. A Hetty Lange."

"Okay thank you."

Callen got up and followed the nurse. Since Zoya was in the ICU he couldn't have his phone on when he was in the room with her. Callen sighed, Hetty was probably calling him in.

"Hello Hetty," Callen answered the phone.

"Hello Mr. Callen. How is Ms. Foster doing?"

"She still hasn't woken up yet but the doctor said she's doing fine."

"Okay. I'm sorry to call you but we have an urgent case, I need you to come in."

"Yeah okay," Callen spoke as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'll send you the address. Mr. Hanna will meet you there."

"Okay Hetty. I'll be right there."

Callen hung up the phone and momentarily went back into the room.

"Hey honey, sorry but I have to go. We have an urgent case. I'll be back afterwards, hope you're awake then."

Callen gave Zoya a soft kiss on her head before he left. As he went down he turned his phone on. He read through the information on the case and looked at the address on his phone. He got in his car and drove to the crime scene.

"Hey Sam," Callen greeted as he walked onto the crime scene.

"Hey G, how's Zoya?"

"Still asleep but the doctor said she's doing fine, said it sometimes takes time for someone to wake up."

"She'll be fine G."

"What have we got here?" Callen asked, getting his mind off Zoya for a moment so he could focus on the case.

Sam filled him in on what he had found so far and what the wonder twins had found out. Callen put his gloves on and looked through the crime scene. Callen hoped this was a fast case so he could go back to the hospital.

Unfortunately for Callen it was past 9pm when he finally could leave the office. At least the case was wrapped up and no one got hurt. Callen grabbed his stuff and went to the hospital. Visiting hours were already over but he needed to see Zoya, maybe she had woken up now. Callen turned off his phone as he walked towards Zoya's room. Callen opened the door to Zoya's room and stepped in.

"Hey Grisha," Zoya greeted him.

A smile appeared on Callen's face. Zoya was awake. "Hey Zoya." Callen walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"A little bit weak but I'm okay." Callen sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Listen, I think we need to talk….."


	4. Chapter 4

"Yes we do," Callen replied a bit angrily. "Why didn't you tell me you're NCIS too? Why didn't you tell me after I told you?"

"I wanted to G, you have to believe me…"

"Then why didn't you? And don't say it's because of the secrecy. I work in a secret office too. I know what it's like. It was a big deal for me to say that I'm a federal agent with a secret office. I trusted you and now I found out you've been lying to me all this time."

Zoya could tell that Callen was angry and she couldn't actually blame him. "I'm sorry G. I wanted to tell you so badly but my boss wouldn't let me. Not even after I told him you work with NCIS too. I'm sorry G. I wanted to tell you."

"Did you know about me being a federal agent before I told you?"

"I….." Zoya wasn't sure how to say this to him. She did know, she knew about the OSP.

"You knew, didn't you?" Callen kinda yelled at her.

"I'm sorry G."

"как ты мог лгать мне все это время?[How could you lie to me all this time?]" Callen switched over in Russian. When they argued, which wasn't often however, they usually yelled in Russian.

Zoya could tell that Callen was really upset. The last thing she had wanted to do was hurt him. She loved him.

"Мне так жаль, Гриша.[I'm so sorry Grisha.]"

"Вырежьте дерьмо! Вы знаете, что обо мне быть федеральный агент! Вы знаете о OSP! Вы являетесь агентом NCIS сами! Я думал, что могу доверять тебе![Cut the crap! You knew about me being a federal agent! You knew about the OSP! You are a NCIS agent yourself! I thought I could trust you!]"

Zoya wanted to respond but she couldn't. She couldn't breathe. Suddenly the machines started beeping.

"Zoya?" Callen asked concerned. "Zoya, are you okay?" Zoya didn't respond and Callen saw her eyes closing. "Someone help!" Callen yelled into the hallway.

The nurse had already seen the machines beeping and had alerted the doctor. Callen stepped aside so the medical personnel could work.

"What's going on?" The doctor asked.

"I don't know, we were talking and all of a sudden she didn't respond anymore and the machines started beeping and her eyes closed. What's going on?"

"I heard yelling coming from this room," the nurse admitted. "Maybe it put her in shock."

"What's going on doctor? Is she gonna be okay?" Callen asked, afraid he had caused this.

"Get him out of this room!" The doctor ordered.

Callen was ordered out of the room by a nurse. He looked through the window as the medical personnel worked on Zoya. Did he really cause this by yelling at her? A little later the medical staff pushed Zoya's bed out of the room.

"What's going on?" Callen asked.

"We have to take her back into surgery, she's bleeding internally again."

Callen watched as Zoya was wheeled off to the OR. One of the nurses stayed behind.

"Excuse me Miss," Callen addressed the nurse. "Did I cause this by yelling at her?"

"It's a possibility, it's also possible we pulled her out of coma too soon."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"The doctor will do everything he can to make sure she's okay. Don't worry sir."

Callen went back into the room to wait for Zoya. Did he really cause this? Sure he was angry at her for lying to him but to do this to her, Callen hadn't wanted that. Callen was going crazy right now. She had been doing a bit better and now this. Did he really do this to her?

About an hour later Callen looked up as Zoya's bed was pushed back into the room followed by the doctor.

"How is she?"

"We fixed her up again, she should be alright."

"Okay thank you."

"You're welcome but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"What?"

"You endangered my patient. I can't have you in here. Not while she's recovering."

"Please doctor, I didn't mean for this to happen."

"That may be but I need to think what's in the best interest of my patient. I'm sorry sir but you have to leave."

Callen didn't like it but wanting the best for Zoya he decided to leave for now. Callen took this opportunity to go home and get some rest and a shower. One the way home he called Zoya's parents to update them on Zoya's condition. After the shower Callen grabbed himself a beer and sat down on the couch. He couldn't believe that he had done this to Zoya. Okay he was angry with her but to make her go back into surgery was never Callen's plan. His emotions got the better of him and he started yelling at her. He really felt guilty right now. He couldn't believe the doctor had pushed him out of the room but then again he had every right to, he was just looking out for his patient. Callen turned the TV on to just keep him busy but he wasn't really paying attention to what was going on on screen.

Callen managed to get a bit of sleep that night. The next morning before going to work Callen stopped by the hospital to see how Zoya was doing. When he walked up to the room he was stopped by the guard outside Zoya's room.

"Sorry agent Callen, doctor's order. I can't let you pass."

"What? Come on, just let me pass."

"I'm sorry agent Callen, I'm under orders not to."

"Come on, the orders didn't come from NCIS."

"Wrong agent Callen, the doctor is NCIS too."

"Just let me pass, I promise I won't do anything."

"Sorry agent Callen, not until the doctor says so."

Realizing Callen wasn't going to get in he gave up. Luckily the sliding doors to the ICU room Zoya was in had windows.

"Can I at least look at her through the window?"

"I suppose that's alright."

The guard stepped aside so Callen could look through the window. Callen looked at Zoya lying on the bed, she was still asleep or out cold from the surgery.

"Мне очень жаль Зойка.[I'm sorry Zoya.]"

As Callen turned to leave he saw Zoya's doctor walking into the ICU wing. He walked up to Callen.

"I thought I told you do stay away," the doctor spoke to Callen.

"I didn't went in, I just had to see her. How is she doing doctor?"

"She's doing okay considering. She should wake up soon."

"Okay that's good. I'm sorry doctor, I didn't mean to cause this."

The doctor could see Callen was really sorry and that he really cared for his patient. "I don't know what happened and I'm sorry for kicking you out but I have to think about what's best for my patient."

"I understand that doctor. I promise something like this won't happen again but please once she's awake I would like to see her again."

"We'll discuss that once she is up and if she wants to see you."

"Alright."

The doctor's pager went off. "Excuse me."

The doctor left. Callen took one more look into the room before he went to work.

"Morning G," Sam spoke as Callen walked into the bullpen.

"Morning Sam."

"How's Zoya doing?"

"She's okay. She was awake last night when I went to see her after we got done with work."

"That's great." Sam could see by his partner's face that something was up. "Or not?"

"Yeah it was great. We got to talking and I got a bit angry with her for lying to me. I couldn't help myself and I started yelling at her. I don't know what happened but all of a sudden the machines started beeping and they had to take her back into surgery. She was bleeding internally again."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yeah she should be okay. The doctor fixed her up but he locked me out of her room cus it was my fault."

"Ouch, that sucks."

"Yeah, I went there this morning but he wouldn't let me in. Maybe once Zoya's awake and she wants to see me."

"Don't worry G, everything's gonna be okay."

"I hope so."

Today was a calm day at work so they could fill in the paperwork from yesterday's case. In the afternoon Callen's cell phone went off. It was lying next to him on the table. He looked at the display but there was no caller-ID, but he did recognize the number. It was coming from the hospital. Callen grabbed his phone and went outside.

"Hello," Callen answered the phone as he walked into the courtyard.

"Hi Grisha," Zoya's voice was heard on the other end of the line.

"Hey Zoya, glad to hear you're awake. I'm so sorry about what happened."

"It's not your fault G."

"Yes it was, I was yelling at you. I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to do that."

"I probably deserved it."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, a little bit weak and my body hurts in some places, but I'll heal. I heard the doctor kicked you out of my room."

"Yeah he did. He wouldn't let me near you, not even this morning when I came to visit you. He said he would discuss it further when you woke up and he would discuss it with you."

"I really want you to come by, we still have to talks things out. It's better we do that now than to leave it hanging in the air."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I wanna see you G."

"That's great," Callen replied with a smile. "And I promise, no more yelling. I don't want to see you in surgery again."

"That's good cus me neither."

"I will come by tonight during the visiting hours."

"That's good. I will see you then."

"Yes see you then."

"Bye G, I love you."

Callen wasn't sure how to respond to that. Of course he loved her but they still had so much to talk through. "Me too." He wanted to say it back but right now he just couldn't so he opted for this. "I will see you tonight."

Callen hung up the phone and walked back to the bullpen.

"Everything okay G?" Sam asked his partner.

"Yeah everything's fine. It was just the hospital to update me, Zoya's awake."

"That's good."

Callen couldn't wait to get out of here and go to the hospital. He wasn't as angry with Zoya as he was yesterday. He couldn't quite forgive her yet and he wasn't sure if he could trust her again but he wasn't as angry anymore. Perhaps there was a chance for them to work through this.

It was just past 5.30pm when Callen left. He went home and grabbed himself some dinner before going to the hospital around 7pm. Callen took a deep sigh as he walked up to the Zoya's room. The guard didn't stop him this time and Callen walked in.

"Hey Zoya," Callen greeted her with a smile.

"Hey G," Zoya greeted back with a smile.

Callen walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I'll be fine."

"I'm really sorry about last night," Callen spoke as he sat down on the chair and grabbed Zoya's hand. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know G and I don't blame you. You have every right to be angry with me."

"I thought I could trust you."

"You can honey, you can honey."

"I don't know… I…."

"Please G, let me speak first. I just wanna say this to you."

"Okay."

"Thank you. I'm really sorry about lying to you, I really am. It was hard for me to keep this secret from you. I wanted to tell you so badly, you have to believe me. When I came to work for NCIS here in LA they offered me this house, right next to you. They knew about you living there so they thought that would be good to have a NCIS agent as a neighbor. They told me about you but told me not to bring it up. I mean I could hardly tell you that without you wondering how I knew that, you would grow suspicious of me and maybe thought I was a criminal. I thought it would be good, just having a NCIS agent as a neighbor. I didn't expect to fall for you but I did. I fell in love with you. I wanted to bring the subject up but my boss told me not to, not even after I argued with him that you were in NCIS too. He was very specific to me not to tell you. if I did I would lose my job. When you told me who you really were I was happy about that. I thought maybe finally I could tell you now too. I wanted to tell you the moment you told me but I waited, I figured I would need to talk to my boss first. I did and I argued with him why I couldn't tell you but he still kept to his decision that I couldn't tell you."

"You could've told me anyways."

"I know and I struggled with that. I thought about telling you anyways but I wasn't sure how. After you told me about the things you went through I wasn't sure how you would take it, being lied to by your girlfriend. Before I got captured I had figured out a way to tell you, I was going to tell you that night. But then I got captured and you found out this way. That was never my intention, for you to find it out this way. I'm really sorry you had to find out this way, I really am. I love you G and I really hope we can't work through this cus I really like spending time with you. I promise you, you can trust me. From now on no more lies, I promise. I know I probably betrayed you but I'm asking for another chance, another chance for us. We have a good thing you and I, I don't want that to go away."

"Yeah we do have a good thing. I wish you would've just told me."

"I wanted to G and I was going to, you have to believe me."

"It's gonna take some time for me to get over this."

"I know G and I will give you that time, just please don't give up on us. We can make this work. I know you had people lie to you and betray you before, that's what made it extra difficult for me. But I'm not one of those people." Zoya grabbed his hand tight in hers. "Look at me G." Callen looked up to her and looked her in the eye. "I'm not one of those people, I'm not gonna hurt you. I know I hurt you by keeping this from you but I promise I won't do it again. You have my word on that. I'm not abandoning you, unless you don't want me anymore. I love you Grisha."

Callen looked her in the eye and saw she meant every word of it. He really wanted another chance with Zoya. He loved her and he liked spending time with her. It would take some time but he could trust her again, right? Now that everything was out in the open there was no need for secrets anymore. Callen knew about the office now. He understood what Zoya's job was like and why it had to be kept secret but he just wished she would've told him sooner.

"Just give me time okay Zoya."

"I will G, as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want you to but it's gonna take some time for me."

"I can understand that G."

Callen stood up a little so he could kiss Zoya. Callen cupped her face with his right hand and kissed her a little deeper. Zoya wanted to wrap her arm around him but she couldn't lift her shoulder and the other arm was stilling being held by Callen.

"я люблю тебя Зойка,[I love you Zoya,]" Callen softly spoke to her as he released her lips.

"я тоже тебя люблю Гришу.[I love you too Grisha.]"

Callen sat back down on the chair but it was really close to the bed. "We can work through this."

"Yes we can and from now on, no more lies."

"No more lies."

No more lies, that meant that Callen had to tell Zoya about the baby they has lost. He wasn't sure how to bring this up to her and if she knew she had been pregnant or not.

"There's something else I have to tell you," Callen spoke as he looked Zoya in the eyes.

"What's wrong G?"

"After you were situated in your room the doctor came to update me on your condition. He said that they had found something while they were trying to fix you."

"What is it?" Zoya asked, concerned it was something bad, that she was really sick or something.

"I don't know how to say this easily."

"Just say it honey, what's wrong? Am I sick or something?"

"Oh no, you're not sick. That's not what they found."

"Then what?"

"The doctor told me that you were pregnant, five weeks along."

Zoya couldn't believe her ears! She was pregnant! She had been pregnant with Callen's baby when she was captured! Wait, Callen said were. Did that mean….?

"You said were."

"Yeah, the doctor told me cus of everything that had happened we lost the baby."

"The baby's gone?" Zoya asked, on the verge of crying.

"Yeah I'm sorry."

Zoya didn't even know she had been pregnant but now she had lost the baby, hers and Callen's baby. Zoya couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Callen stood up and saw down next to Zoya on the bed and wrapped his arms around her, careful not to hurt her shoulder. Zoya snuggled into Callen as she cried.

"It's okay Zoya. It's okay. I'm here."

The doctor heard crying so he came to check if everything was alright, if Callen hadn't done something again. Callen saw the doctor peak his head around the doctor and he mouthed baby to her, knowing the doctor would understand. The doctor nodded and left the room.

"It's okay Zoya, I'm here honey. You didn't know you were pregnant?"

"No I didn't. I wouldn't have go out into the field if I had. I can't believe I lost our baby."

"It's not your fault honey, it's those bastards but we got them. It's gonna be okay honey."

"We had a baby I didn't even know about and now we lost it."

"Well, I didn't know about it either."

"Yeah I guess you found out a lot while I was unconscious," Zoya joked to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Yeah I did," Callen replied with a smile. "It's gonna be okay Zoya. I love you."

"I love you too. Could you maybe ask the doctor if you can stay here tonight, I don't want to be alone."

"Yeah I'll ask him but right now I just wanna lie here with you in my arms. I've missed you."

"I missed you too."

Zoya snuggled into Callen's arms. She felt safe being in his arms. A little later Callen noticed that Zoya had fallen asleep. He quietly slipped out of the bed and went to find the doctor. He asked if he could stay the night at Zoya's request. Normally they didn't do that but the doctor made an exception for now. Callen thanked him and went back to the room. He let Zoya sleep for now. Once she was awake Callen crawled back in bed with her and they just watched a bit of TV. Callen kicked his shoes off so he could lay on the bed better. He had to be careful with Zoya's injuries but Zoya assured him she was comfortable. Callen held her and Zoya snuggled against him, it didn't take her long to fall asleep. Callen lay awake for a while. He had just dozed off when he was woken up by a loud noise.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoya had woken up too. Callen looked up. The sound seemed to be coming from outside the room.

"What's going on?" Zoya asked still half asleep.

"I don't know. I'll check it out."

With his hand on his gun Callen walked to the door. The curtains in front of the glass doors had been closed to give the patients privacy. Callen carefully pushed the curtains aside a bit and looked through the window. He didn't see anything so he opened the door. The guard was still in front of the door.

"What's going on?" Callen asked the guard.

"Just a patient who flipped, nothing urgent. It's all good out here."

"Okay."

Callen released his gun and went back into the room.

"Everything okay G?" Zoya asked as Callen walked back into the room.

"Yeah it's good, just a patient who flipped."

"Ah okay."

"Everything's fine. Let's go back to sleep."

Callen crawled back into the bed and they fell back asleep again.

…

Two weeks later Zoya was ready to be released from the hospital but she still had to stay at home for about three months. Callen and Zoya were doing better. Callen still had some trust issues sometimes but he was convinced that they could work through it. They loved each other and they were both willing to work on their issues and they promised no more secrets from now on. When they had started dating Callen was worried that his enemies would find her and hurt her. He was still worried about that but now he knew that Zoya could take care of herself and protect herself. But now he had other stuff to worry about, he knew the dangers of the job and Zoya was out there in the field too. Maybe now that Callen, and the others too, knew about the office they could work together from time to time.

After work Callen went to pick Zoya up from the hospital.

"Hey Zoya," Callen spoke as he walked into the room. Zoya was in a normal room now as of a week ago.

"Hey Grisha."

Callen walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "You ready to go home?"

"More than ready."

"Great."

Callen helped Zoya pack up her stuff. A little later a nurse came by with a wheelchair. Zoya's foot was sprained too but she couldn't really use crutches with her broken shoulder and wrist, luckily those were on the same side so she still could use her other arm. Callen put Zoya's stuff on her lap and Callen pushed the wheelchair. Callen pushed the wheelchair to the car and helped Zoya into the car after putting her stuff in the car. Callen went to return the wheelchair and climbed into the car himself. Callen drove them home. On the way home Callen stopped by the pizzeria to get dinner for them. Callen parked the car in the driveway before getting out. Callen grabbed Zoya's stuff and brought them inside. Callen went back to the car and helped Zoya out of the car. Callen wanted to pick her up but it hurt her ribs too much. Callen put her good arm around his neck and supported her inside. Callen helped her sit on the couch and put her foot on a pillow on the table.

"You good?" Callen asked.

"Yeah I'm good thanks."

Callen went to get some drinks and joined Zoya back on the couch. Callen grabbed a pizza box and handed it to Zoya.

"This is so much better than the hospital food," Zoya spoke after she had taken a bite of her pizza.

"Yeah it totally is. I'm glad you're home again."

"Me too, I don't like hospitals at all."

"Yeah I kinda got that feeling. I don't either."

"I'm really sorry that I lied to you."

"It's okay. I don't like it but I can understand why you did it, probably better than anyone else. It's just gonna take me a while to get over it."

"I'm really sorry Grisha," Zoya spoke as she looked at Callen.

"I know Zoya," Callen replied, looking her in the eye. Callen leaned forward and gave Zoya a kiss. "We'll be alright."

"Yeah we will be. I love you Grisha."

"I love you too Zoya."

Callen gave Zoya another kiss and they finished their pizza. Afterwards they just sat on the couch and watched some TV. Zoya had her head on Callen's shoulder and Callen had his arm around her. It was nice lying like this. He had missed Zoya while she was in the hospital. Callen was sure they would be alright, they could get through this. Callen understood better than anyone the reasons why Zoya lied to him, he just wished she had been honest with him. He still felt a bit betrayed by her but it was getting better, he was learning to trust her again. It would still take him some time though but the beginning was there. He loved Zoya and he couldn't imagine a life without her. He was so glad that Zoya was doing okay. He had been so worried about her when he received the news that she had been taken. He was so worried about her as he sat in her hospital room. And on top of all her injuries she had been pregnant too. They hadn't discussed that further other than the moment when Callen had told her but he could tell that it was hard for Zoya and for him too. He didn't know about it but Callen still grieved for the loss of their child. As he was thinking about it he realized that he would have liked to have a baby with Zoya. Maybe they could try it again in the future.

"G, can I ask you a favor?" Zoya spoke, shocking him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah sure, anything."

"I would like to wash my hair but I can't really do that myself, can you help me?"

"Yeah sure, no problem."

Callen helped her over to the bathroom. Callen sat her on the edge of the tub and proceeded in undressing her. She was wearing a button-down blouse since she couldn't really lift a shirt over her head with her fractured shoulder. Callen pushed her back so she was hanging above the tub.

"This okay for you?" Callen asked.

"Yeah it's fine."

Callen put a towel over Zoya's shoulder so the tape on her shoulder didn't get really wet. Callen grabbed the handheld shower and turned it on. Once the water was a bit warmer he wetted Zoya's hair before putting some soap in it.

"Want me to wash the rest of you too?"

"Yeah sure."

Callen wetted a washcloth and washed Zoya's body. Her body still had bruises here and there. Once he was done he helped Zoya dress in her pajamas.

"Do you want back to the couch or in bed?"

"The bed please, I'm feeling a bit tired."

Callen helped Zoya over to the bed and helped her in.

"You comfortable?"

"Yeah as comfortable as I can be."

"Okay, just try to get some sleep okay."

Callen gave Zoya a kiss before he left the room. He went to the living room and cleaned up the leftovers of their pizza. He cleaned up in the kitchen and went to do some laundry. While Zoya was in the hospital he didn't really do much around the house. It was a little past 11pm when Callen went to bed. He was pleased to see that Zoya was asleep. Quietly he stripped out of his clothes and pulled a shirt on before joining Zoya in the bed. He carefully crawled closer to Zoya and lay down next to her. Callen wrapped his arm around her and gave her a soft kiss on her head. It was Friday today so Callen didn't have to go to work in the morning.

The next morning he woke up a little past 8am and was pleased to see Zoya still asleep. Callen quietly let the bed and got dressed. He walked into the kitchen and made some coffee and breakfast. It was a beautiful spring day so Callen went outside to sit on the deck in the yard.

A few minutes later he rushed inside when he heard a yell coming from the bedroom. When he walked into the bedroom he found Zoya on the ground.

"What happened?" Callen asked concerned as he helped Zoya up and sat her on the bed.

"I tried to get myself dressed."

"Why didn't you call for me? I would've been happy to help you."

"I didn't want to bother you, I thought I could do it myself."

"I don't mind helping you."

Callen helped Zoya get dressed and helped her outside. He sat her down on the chair and went inside to get her some breakfast.

"How did you sleep?"

"I slept fine, woke up a couple times when I tried to shift but that hurt."

"Yeah I can imagine it's not easy sleeping. I once broke my ribs too, it's no fun and I didn't have a fractured shoulder and wrist."

"Yeah, it's not really easy but I'll pass."

"Yeah in time it will. Will you be okay though next week when I have to go to work?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Mom's coming over sometimes and I'm sure some of my colleagues will be too."

"How many are there on your team?"

"Four of us and two techs, just like you."

"You're the only woman?"

"No, we have one more woman, she's my partner."

"That's nice. I'm sure Kensi wishes at times that there was another female agent on our team. What's your position on the team?"

"I'm special agent in charge, just like you."

"Really? That's nice."

"Yeah, me and my partner are the two seniors on the team. Patterson recruited me first and asked me to be team leader."

"That's nice. Where did you work before?"

"Did a stint with Homeland Security and the FBI before joining the DEA and then NCIS. I first worked out of the San Diego office before joining the OTA."

"I worked with the FBI and DEA too and some time at the CIA too and as it turned out my grandfather and my mother worked for the CIA too."

"Really? Guess it runs in the family than huh."

"Yeah I guess it does. What languages do you speak? Besides Russian of course."

"Spanish, German, French, Korean, Italian, Czech, a little bit of Portuguese and Romanian and I can understand Serbian and Arabic a bit but can't really speak it."

"That's nice. I can help you with Romanian if you'd like. I speak it fluently."

"Thanks, yeah I'm gonna pick up a few languages now that I'm sidelined. Gives me something to do."

"Yeah, I always hate sitting at home after I've been injured. I know I drive my partner crazy with that."

"Oh yes, I'm not one for sitting at home either but I have no choice. I can hardly go out in the field like this."

"Yeah I don't think that's such a good idea."

"You're sure you don't mind me being here?"

"Absolutely not. I know we still have some things to work through but I'm sure about one thing. I want you here in my life."

"That's good cus I want that too."

They enjoyed the nice weather outside for a while and the rest of the day they just lounged around the house.

…

Monday Callen had to go to work again.

"You'll be okay here?" Callen asked Zoya as he got ready to leave.

"Yeah I'm fine. Don't worry, I've got it and mom's coming by in the afternoon. It's fine."

"Alright, if you need anything you can always call me."

"I know but I'll be fine."

"Alright, I should be home around six if we don't have a case."

"That's fine, just let me know if it will be later."

"I will." Callen gave Zoya a kiss. "You take it easy today."

"I'll try," Zoya replied with a smile.

Callen gave her one more kiss before he left for work.

"Morning Sam," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen.

"Morning G, how's Zoya doing?"

"She's good. Picked her up Friday after work, she doing good. She just hates being stuck at home."

"I know someone else who does that too," Sam responded with a smirk.

"Yeah I know, it just sucks sitting at home while you're sidelined."

"That it does. How's everything going between you two?"

"It's going fine. I'm still working on it but it's definitely going in the right direction."

"That's great. I can see how happy you are with her."

"Yeah I really am, I just feel a little bit betrayed by her."

"I can understand that G. I also know you understand it better than anyone the reasons why she did it."

"Yeah I do understand them, it just takes time for me to get over that."

"That's understandable G, just don't let this one get away."

"I won't Sam."

"Good. I'm glad you finally found someone."

"Yeah me too, maybe it's not such a bad thing she turned out to be an agent. She understands what the job is like."

"Yeah, it's good to have someone like that. Michelle understands it too but that doesn't mean she doesn't worry about me."

"Oh I know that. I know she worries about me and I'm gonna worry about her too when she goes back on duty."

"That's what you do for people that you love."

Callen went to work on his paperwork. It was a pretty easy day so Callen was able to go home around 5.30pm.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked into the house.

"Hey G," Zoya responded from the couch. Callen walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "How was your day?"

"Pretty quiet, some paperwork and some old cases, nothing interesting. How was your day. Did you manage?"

"Yes I managed. My mom was here in the afternoon. She did some grocery shopping for us."

"That's nice."

"The rest of the day is just took it easy. Try to walk as less as possible. I'm getting the hang a bit of walking with one crutch."

"That's good." Callen gave her one more kiss. "I'm just gonna go prepare dinner for us."

Callen disappeared into the kitchen. When dinner was ready he set the table and helped Zoya over to the table.

"Listen, I've been thinking," Callen spoke as they were having dinner.

"About what?"

"Well, about buying a new house."


	6. Chapter 6

"Buying a new house?" Zoya asked confused.

"Yes, you and me, buy our own house."

"I thought you liked living here, this house has so many memories for you."

"That it does. But I thought it might be nice to buy a new house. You know, technically this is my house, you moved in with me. I want to buy our place. I think it would be good for us. A way to start over. Forget everything that happened and start over."

"I think that's nice, our place. And you're right yeah, a start over. It would be good for us."

"Yeah I think so too."

"Is this really what you want too? I know this house has many memories for you."

"Yes it's what it want. I know this house has memories. But those memories will always be with me no matter where I am and as long as I'm with you I'm happy."

"Same here. It will be nice to have our place."

"Yes it will be."

After dinner Zoya went to look at houses as Callen cleaned up. They had a few criteria. They wanted it to be a little bit bigger than this house, it had to be far enough away from their offices so they could take multiple routes to and from work, it had to have a nice yard, a driveway and perhaps even a school or playground nearby but that last wasn't a must. Callen let the searching over to Zoya. He wasn't really good at that sort of stuff. Zoya found a couple houses in Pacific Palisades, two on Topoya Drive, one on Earlham street and two on Via de la Paz. They were all around the same neighborhood. There was a park close by and so was a school.

"Hey G, I found a few," Zoya called once Callen was done cleaning up.

Callen walked to the table and sat down next to Zoya to look at the houses.

"Wow, aren't those a little expensive?" Callen remarked when he saw the prices of the houses. Zoya had put the screens side by side on the screen. "I don't know how much you make but I certainly don't make enough a year to afford that."

"I don't make that much a year either."

"Then how can we afford that?"

"I have a lot of money saved. My dad comes from a rich family. When Grandma Foster died, Grandpa Foster had died already then, we inherited a lot of money. Since my dad is an only child he inherited a lot but grandma Foster had me in her will too. We had a great relationship. I loved my grandma. My dad was often gone for business when I was young so I spend a lot of time there when mom had to work too. She helped raise me too."

"Exactly how much money did you inherited?" Callen wondered.

"Well, she was pretty wealthy so I inherited about ten million dollars."

Callen didn't know what he was hearing. He almost fell off his chair from shock. "Ten million dollars?!" Callen spoked shocked. "You inherited ten million dollars?!"

"Yeah. My grandma had already put it in an account for me. When she died I became the owner of that account. I didn't really know what to do with the money so I just left it there. Figured one day I would find a destination for it."

"You have ten million dollars just sitting in the bank? When you told me you were a personal shopper for the rich and famous I thought you were pretty well off but ever since I learned you were an agent I didn't think you were this well off. You're totally not like the stereotype rich girl."

"No, my parents and my grandma taught me to grow up normally, not rich. I wasn't one of those rich spoiled brats. But I have it and I don't know what else to do with it so why not buy a house from it. We can use a lot of it for the house. Unless you wanna split the costs fifty/fifty but I've looked at the houses, everything is pretty pricy here in LA."

"Yeah that it is. You sure you don't mind using the money for the house?"

"No, I don't know what else to do with it anyway. If you're okay with it."

"I never had much as a kid. The places I stayed at were pretty lousy, basically cus I wasn't there much so I didn't see the need in a fancy place. It will be nice to have a nice house, that's big enough for you know….."

"Yeah, that was what I was thinking too. If we go buy a smaller house now and it should happen we might have to move again so why not buy a bigger one now. Unless you're not okay with it, I know how you men can get."

"I am not one of those men. Besides I have other ways to impress you and romance you," Callen spoke with a smirk.

Oh that smirk of his, that really was one of Zoya's weaknesses, along with his piercing blue eyes. She could easily lose herself in those.

"You're such a little charmer," Zoya smiled back.

"I try," Callen smiled. Callen gave Zoya a kiss. "Now let's look at the houses you found."

They found all the houses nice that Zoya had found. They had five houses now. They wondered if they should visit them all. They two houses on Topoya drive were closest to the playground in the neighborhood. The one on Earlham and one on Via de la Paz were a little bit further from the playground. They looked at the pictures to see if they maybe could eliminate one or more houses. They liked them all. They made an appointment to view all the houses. They made the appointments all on one day so they could compare the houses.

"So you really have that much money," Callen spoke as they sat on the couch.

"Yeah I have. I hope that's okay with you. It's not a big deal and I don't go around bragging about it. I want people to like me for who I am, not for the amount of money I have."

"It's fine. I'm just a little surprised. I know your parents were well off but I had no idea this well off. But it's fine. It's actually nice to know we have that money. We can buy the perfect house with it and even some other things. It's good to know we don't really have to worry about the money and I have some money saved as well so we can use that too. We can make the perfect house with it."

"Yes we can."

"Are there any other things I should know about you?" Callen spoke with a smile.

"No I think we about covered it, let's see special agent, check, a lot of money saved, check, madly in love with you, check."

"I love you too," Callen replied and gave Zoya a kiss.

"I didn't tell you about the money sooner cus I didn't want you to treat me differently. Sometimes I even forgot it was there. I saw no need for it until now."

"It's fine Zoya, don't worry about it."

"Okay good."

That Saturday they went to view the houses. The houses all looked nice. Sure some things weren't there taste but they had to look through that, they could always change it when they would move in. Zoya took a little notepad with her to write down the pros and cons of each house. The neighborhood was nice. The streets weren't that busy. They looked around the houses and asked a few questions. They all looked really nice. Zoya wrote some things down on the little notepad so they could review it at home later.

Once they had seen all the houses they went back to their own house.

"They all looked nice," Callen admitted.

"Yeah they did."

Zoya grabbed her list of pros and cons and she went over it with Callen. One of the houses on Via de la Paz was very nice but Callen and Zoya didn't like the garden so much, of course they could always change it but they put this house aside for now. The other house in Via de la Paz they put aside too. One of the houses on Topoya drive was out too. The house was nice but the bathroom was a little bit too small compared to the other houses. The other house on Topoya drive and the one on Earlham street they liked. The liked both houses. They made an appointment to visit both houses again. They could do that the next Saturday. The price difference between the two houses was about three million. The one on Topoya drive was about seven million and the one on Earlham street was about four million. The garden on Earlham street was a little smaller and didn't have a pool but they did have a covered seating outside, underneath the balcony of the master bedroom. The house on Topoya drive was a little bit bigger and had a pool, it also had a covered patio outside. Both houses looked really good. Callen and Zoya weren't sure which one to choose. They could afford both houses but if they bought the house on Earlham street they had more money left so they could remodel the house were necessary.

"I'm really enjoying this house hunting with you," Callen admitted.

"Yeah me too. It's nice to buy a house together."

"Yeah it really is. But it's hard to choose. Both houses look nice."

"Yeah they do. Maybe we'll see something else when we go to visit it again. We only have two houses now."

"Yeah maybe we will. Wasn't it too much for you today, all the walking?"

"No, it was fine. My foot is feeling better already. The doctor said it was only a small sprain."

"Okay that's good. And the rest of you?"

"It'll heal with time but it's not really comfortable sometimes."

"Yeah I can imagine."

"But it'll get better. The part I hate the most is sitting at home. I don't like sitting at home all day doing nothing, I'm not good at it."

"Neither am I so I know what it feels like. But you'll be back at work in no time."

"Yeah I hope I can go back sooner than three months, maybe some paperwork or something."

"Just take it easy okay. I know how you get, I do the same thing too. Just listen to your body."

"I will Grisha, don't worry and I'm sure Patterson won't let me return before I'm cleared."

"Is Patterson a good boss?"

"Yeah he is. He can be strict at times but he's a good boss."

"That's good."

"What about Hetty? Are all the things I heard about her true?"

"Yeah, most of them are I think. It's Hetty, you never know, but she's not one to be messed around with. She may be small but she's like a ninja. You don't want to get on her bad side. She's also sort of a mother figure to me, she's the closest thing I have to a mother. She took me in when I had run away from juve."

"You were in juve?"

"Yeah, I was a troubled kid. I had some bad foster homes and sometimes I lived on the streets. One was very bad, social services didn't do anything about it. Whenever my social worker was there they were on their best behavior. I tried to complain about it but she didn't listen. Who listens to a broken foster kid anyway? It was the last foster family I ever stayed at. One day I ran away. I robbed a storage locker and got caught. They threw me in juve for three weeks. It was hell. The guards used to beat me. So I saw an opportunity and escaped. I stole a car and crashed into a pole. I tried to run from the cops but they caught up to me. I thought my whole life was over then, I don't know what would have happened if Hetty had intervened."

"She knew you before you came to work with NCIS?"

"Yeah, now I know it was cus of my mother. But she kept eyes on me and she couldn't see this happening to me. So she stepped in and took me in. She straightened me out and got me on the path of a federal agent. She said I was destined to do great things, that I would make a great federal agent, she was right."

"That's nice of her."

"Yeah, I just wished she would have told me about my mother then already."

"She did it to protect you. She couldn't protect your mother but she did protect you."

"Yeah I just wished she would have told me sooner."

..

Monday Callen had to go to work again.

"I'll see you later tonight," Callen spoke to Zoya and gave her a kiss.

"Be careful."

"Always. You take it easy and you can always call me."

"I know but I'll be fine. Go, go save some people."

"I'll let you know if I'm home later."

"Alright. See you."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before he left for work.

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen.

"Morning," replied Kensi, Deeks and Sam.

"How was your weekend G?" Sam asked.

"It was fine. Zoya and I looked at houses."

"Houses? You're moving? I thought you liked living in that house."

"Yeah I do but we decided to buy a new place. This was still technically my place so we're gonna buy a place that is from both of us and we both agreed it would be good for us, a new house a new start."

"That's nice. So things are going good between you and Zoya?"

"Yeah they are going great. Zoya is doing better already a bit with her injuries and things between us are good."

"That's great. I'm happy for you two. So did you went to look at houses already?"

"Yeah. We went to visit five houses on Saturday. They were all nice but we've narrowed it down to two now. We're going to visit them again this Saturday."

"That's nice. Where are these houses?"

"In Pacific Palisades."

"Pacific Palisades?" Kensi remarked. "Aren't those house a little bit expansive there. I know you're team leader but you can't make that much more as me and I'm sure Zoya doesn't either."

"No she doesn't. We earn about the same."

"Then how can you afford this house? Did you win the lottery?" Deeks spoke.

"No we didn't but Zoya and I both have some money saved so we can buy it. We checked it, we can buy these houses we went to visit."

"That's good," Sam said. "Let us now when you need help with moving."

"Thanks Sam."

It was a pretty quiet morning so they could catch up on some paperwork. Around 10am they had some new leads on an old case. Callen and Sam went to check it out but it turned out to be dead ends. Since they were out now and it was past noon Callen and Sam decided to get some lunch. They went to a café and sat down on one of the tables outside.

"So how are you and Zoya doing really?" Sam asked.

"We're doing good. Things are going good. We're working through things. I'm learning to trust her again. We're doing really good, we have no more secrets for each other. I can tell it's good for Zoya that I know now. She was really struggling with it, that she couldn't tell me. It's out now and it's good for us. We're both happy right now. Zoya has some way to go with her recovery but she's doing good."

"That's good. And G, just wondering. How can you really afford that place in Pacific Palisades? I know you have money saved but not that much."

"Well, Zoya's parents are pretty well off. Zoya's grandparents were pretty wealthy. When Zoya's grandma died she inherited a lot of money, like a really lot of money. She put it in the bank, she didn't know what to do with it so she thought this would be a good thing to use it on, a house."

"Ah that's nice. And you're okay with her paying for the house?"

"Yeah, and it's not like I'm not paying anything. We both agreed to use that money for the house. Zoya didn't know what else to do with it anyway."

"That's good. I hope you find a nice house."

"Yeah, they both look really good so far. I'm not sure which one we will pick. Maybe Saturday we'll see something else."

Sam and Callen were having their lunch when one of the waitresses stepped up to them.

"Excuse me gentlemen but a man at the bar asked me to give this to you," the waitress spoke and handed Callen a piece of paper.

"Which man?" Sam asked.

The waitress looked back at the bar. "Uhm, he's gone now. But he asked me to give this to you."

"Alright thank you." The waitress walked away and Callen looked at the paper. "What's on the paper G?"

"Ocean view park, paved circled in the middle of the park, twenty minutes. Be there, or else…. Looks like someone wants to meet us there."

"Who? Does it have a name or something?"

"No nothing. Should we go check it out?"

"If we want to find out who sent this we probably should."

"It could be a trap."

"Yeah, but what choice do we have. Who knows what this guy will do if we don't show up. We can always just check it out. He probably won't do something to us in a public park."

They paid for their lunch and went to the park. Sam parked the car and they walked into the park. They kept their eyes open as they walked through the park. So far they didn't see anything suspicious. They walked toward the middle of the park. The walked onto the paved circle. They looked around but no one was there.


	7. Chapter 7

Callen and Sam looked around. What the hell was going on? Why did someone ask them to meet them here and then not show up? Or was this just to lure them away from something? To see if they would take the bait? Callen and Sam saw a kid on a skateboard approaching them.

"A guy gave me twenty bucks to give this to you."

The kid handed Callen a piece of paper. "What guy?"

"Not sure. Just said I should give this to you."

Callen took the paper and the kid went off. Callen and Sam looked around but they couldn't find anyone suspicious, no one stood out to them, no one was really paying attention them them.

"What does it say G?"

"Thank you for playing. Meet me at Marina Del Rey, basin B, slip fifteen."

"That's right across from the boatshed."

"Could be a coincidence."

They went back to the car and Sam drove them to the Marina. They walked onto the harbor and went to basin B, slip fifteen. It turned out to be last row of boats on the left and the last boat on the right side. This boat was directly across from the boatshed. Sure there was some water in between but it was right across from the boatshed. It was about six hundred feet from that boat to the boatshed. Callen and Sam really did not have a good feeling about this. Callen and Sam approached the boat with caution. They saw a man sitting on the back deck reading a newspaper. He didn't look familiar to either one of them.

"A gentlemen, welcome," the man spoke when he saw Callen and Sam. "Come on in."

Hesitantly Sam and Callen stepped onto the boat. They noticed a man with a gun standing just inside the boat.

"Beautiful view isn't it," the man spoke. Callen and Sam heard an accent in his voice but couldn't immediately place it, perhaps some form of English dialect.

Callen and Sam looked at the view, they spotted the boatshed on the other side of the marina. Could this really be a coincidence. He pointed the view out to them, could he know that place was the boatshed? Surely not right, that place was secret, it didn't stand out. The boathouse had only been breached on like two occasion so the changed were slim he knew about it, but still Callen had this nagging feeling.

"What do you want?" Callen asked.

"Oh not one for chit-chat I see."

"Why have us go to the park first and then come here?" Sam wondered.

"I needed to see if you would follow my instructions."

"Why did you want to meet us here?" Callen asked.

"I need guys to do something for me but first I'm gonna need you to ditch your phones and earwigs. Throw them in the water."

Callen and Sam didn't like this at all. If they went offline the team wouldn't be able to track them, but then again it would send an alarm just like it did when Brunson told them to ditch their phones.

"What makes you think we would do that?" Sam spoke.

"Because of this." The man handed a folder to Callen. Callen took it and opened it. He was shocked to find two pictures in there. One from Zoya and one from Sam's family. Sam looked shocked at the pictures. "If you do as I say they will stay unharmed."

"If you hurt them….." Sam warned.

"You're in no position to make threats agent Hanna. I have people watching them right now. I just have to send them a text and they will take them out. If you don't do as I want they will die. Now throw your phones and earwigs in the water."

Hesitantly the partners did as he asked and threw their cell phones and earwigs in the water, but not after wiping all secured data.

"Now what?" Sam was getting impatient, he didn't like this at all. He was pissed as hell that this man would go after his family.

The man grabbed another folder from the table and handed it to Callen. Callen took the folder and opened it. It was a police file, something that was taken into evidence.

"They have something that belongs to be and I would like it back."

"Why not ask them yourself, or take it yourself?" Callen spoke.

"I can't, but you guys can get it for me."

"Who are you?" Callen asked.

"Oh how rude of me not to introduce myself, my name is Mike Chambers."

Chambers, Chambers, now that name did ring a bell with Callen. When Nate was in town and took Callen hostage he was working with this girl named Alisa Chambers. Could they be related? He did look a bit like her and he was English too.

"Chambers? As in Alisa Chambers?" Callen said.

Sam looked at his partner. Could this really have to do with that case? Mike got an angry look on his face the moment Callen mentioned Alisa Chambers.

"You killed my sister!" Mike spat.

"She had it coming, she was firing at American federal agents!"

"But your team killed her!"

"Actually it was me, so let my partner go," Callen told him.

"So he can tell go and tell your team about me? Not a chance. Now you're gonna get this thing back for me or I'm gonna put bullets in your loved ones. Call me with this cell once you have it. You have an hour to get it."

Callen grabbed the cell phone of the table and he and Sam left. They didn't want to do it but they really didn't want to be responsible for Zoya's and Sam's family's deaths. They would just see how this would play out and catch this guy in the end.

"Oh and boys," Mike called as Callen and Sam walked off the boat. Callen and Sam turned around. "I can't have you take your car. Leave it here."

"How are we supposed to get it and be back here in an hour then?" Callen questioned.

"Here you go." Mike tossed them a set of keys. "It's the dark blue Prius and don't even think about taken your own car anyway. I have eyes everywhere."

Callen and Sam walked off.

"How the hell did he find out we were the team that went after his sister?" Sam spoke as they reached the car.

"I have no idea, maybe it was the mole inside our office."

"We really need to find this guy."

"Or girl. I'm just saying, it can be anyone."

"Maybe if we'll play this through he'll lead us to the mole."

Callen and Sam got in the car and drove to the federal building were this piece was kept into evidence. Callen went inside as Sam kept watch outside.

"Hello, special agent Callen," Callen spoke to the man behind the evidence locker as he showed his credentials. "Here to pick up a piece of evidence."

"Sure thing agent Callen, which one? Do you have the paperwork?"

Callen looked through the folder Chambers had given him. The paperwork to sign this evidence out was all filled out. This had to be the work of the mole inside their office, there was no way Chambers could have gotten his hands on this otherwise. Callen slipped the piece of paper underneath the window.

"Just a minute agent Callen."

The man left and returned a little later with a box.

"Just need your signature here agent Callen."

Callen signed the papers and walked out with the box.

..

"Hmmm, that's weird," Eric spoke as he looked at his screen.

"What's weird?" Nell asked.

"Callen's and Sam's phones and coms just went offline."

"Offline? That's weird. Maybe they are in a dead zone or something. Where were they last?"

Eric typed a few keys on his keyboard. "At the marina, right across from the boatshed."

"That's weird, for the case they were on the other side of the city. Can you track their movements?"

Eric typed some keys on his keyboard.

"Alright, here they are at the address they were checking out. They went to a café from there to have lunch. A little later they exited the café and went to the ocean view park. That's weird, why go there and not come back to the office?"

"I have no idea. Can you track them further?"

"Yeah, they were there for about five minutes before they drove to the marina. Opposite side of the marina then the boatshed is."

"The marina? What are they doing there?"

"A security camera picked them up walking onto the marina but there are no cameras on the docks so no luck there. They left about fifteen minutes later but it's weird. Sam's car is still parked there."

"Any other cameras on that parking lot to see where they went?"

"No, the camera pointed at the dock entry is the only one."

"How about near the boatshed? Any cameras pointed to the other side of the marina?"

Eric typed a few keys on his keyboard. "No none. It's weird, why would they ditch their coms and phones there and at the same time and then leave but leave Sam's car there?"

"We had that case with Brunson a while back, maybe it's like this again. I'll inform Hetty."

Nell got up and walked downstairs to Hetty's office.

"Yes Ms. Jones," Hetty spoke.

"Something is off. Sam and Callen ditched their phones and coms somewhere in the marina. Eric and I checked but we can't find them. They left the marina shortly after they ditched their coms but Sam's car is still at the marina. I think something is wrong. Eric and I think this may be something like the case with Brunson a while back. He had Sam and Callen ditch their phones too."

"I see. Send Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks to the marina, see if they can find something out there. You and Mr. Beale keep checking to find them."

"Will do Hetty."

Nell walked off to the bullpen and told Kensi and Deeks what was going on. They left and Nell went back upstairs.

..

Callen and Sam had managed to get the box within the hour. Once Callen was back in the car he called Mike on the phone he had given them.

"You have my package agent Callen?" Mike answered the phone.

"Yes we do. Now what?"

"Meet me at Vista Del Mar park in thirty minutes."

Sam drove the car to the park.

"Sam, see that," Callen spoke as they were waiting in front of the traffic light.

"Yeah I see it G."

They saw a camera around the corner. One that was close enough to catch their faces. They knew that by now the techs in OPS were looking for them and they would catch this. Sam took the right turn, this wouldn't look suspicious to Chambers but it did mean the techs would catch it. Callen and Sam drove to the park. Callen grabbed the package and they went to look for Chambers. They found him sitting on a picnic bench. The partners joined him on the bench.

"Ah good you made it and I see you've got my package. Well done."

"Now will you let them go," Sam demanded.

"I will let them go."

Chambers picked up the phone and called his men off. Callen and Sam were happy that their loved ones weren't a target anymore.

"But the game is not over yet."

"We retrieved that stupid thing for you, what more do you want?" Callen was getting annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just that I may have phoned you guys in to the cops, gave them your description."

Callen and Sam didn't know what was going on? Why would he have called them in to the LAPD? Okay sure last time with Brunson they had stolen some diamonds but everything they had done so far was legit. Callen noticed a few LAPD officers walking through the park. He saw that they had noticed him and Sam too and he was on his radio.

"Gotta go Sam."

Sam spotted the officers too and the partners made a run for it.

…

The techs were doing everything they could to find out where Callen and Sam were and what they had gotten themselves into. They had spotted them on the camera at the intersection but after that no more.

"Oh crap, that's not good," Eric spoke as he saw a message on his screen.

"What's not good?" Nell asked her partner.

"The place where Callen's and Sam's coms went offline, a boat in that marina. There as just a report of it being blown up and according to the report they are looking for two men who match the description of Callen and Sam."

"That's not good. Have you been able to find them after that intersection?"

"No nothing yet."

"I'll have Kensi and Deeks go check it out."

…

Callen and Sam ran from the police officers and got back in their car. Damn, Sam's challenger would have really come in handy now. What was this guy's endgame? He had threatened the lives of Zoya and Sam's family just to get this stupid thing back and now he had let them okay, at least that's what Callen and Sam hoped, that he was good to his word. But now he had turned them in to the police. For what? A cell phone or coms would really come in handy now. Maybe they could make it back to the marina and grab Sam's car. Sam tried to stay in front of the cops but this car wasn't near as fast as his challenger. Sam managed to cut in front of a truck, the cops were stuck behind it since the truck now stood in the middle of the intersection. Sam drove into an alley, away from the cops.

"We've gotta ditch this car," Callen stated. "We're only a couple of miles from the boatshed."

"He said he has eyes everywhere. What if he goes back on his word and does hurt Zoya or my family?"

"We've gotta do something, I have a feeling this guy has something else planned. We know his sister was into bombs, maybe he's too."

"We could go in through the basement. There's a point near the marina that doesn't have cameras. We can sneak in the water from there."

"Let's do it. We can alert the others."

The two agents left the car in the alley and walked to the marina, trying to stay off the cameras.

They managed to get to the marina. They looked around but no one was around the point so they dove into the water. They swam up to the boatshed and went in through the trap door in the interrogation room. They went into the main room and contacted the team.

..

Eric and Nell looked surprised as a video call came in from OPS. To their surprise Callen and Sam showed up on screen.

"Callen, Sam, are you okay?" Nell asked.

"As good as can be. We need your help," Callen replied.

"Yeah we were already trying to help you. We have no idea what's going on."

"Neither do we. A guy named Mike Chambers, his sister was Alisa Chambers."

"Wait, wasn't that the girl that Nate was working with?" Eric interjected.

"Yeah that's the one. He contacted us and he wanted us to do something for him. A piece of evidence from his sister from the federal building. He had eyes on Zoya and Sam's family. Can you please send someone to make sure they are safe?"

"Yeah of course."

"Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna," Hetty spoke as she walked into OPS. "What's going on?"

"We're not sure Hetty, I think he has something else planned," Callen spoke.

"There's a warrant out for your arrest. Apparently you two blow up a boat."

"So that's why he called us in to the police," Sam stated.

"You have to find him, he's game isn't over yet."

"We're working on that Mr. Callen. Are you and Mr. Hanna okay?"

"Yeah we're fine. We saw Chambers last in the Vista Del Mar Park. We had to run then since LAPD came after us."

"I think it's best if you two stay in the boatshed for now. We'll let you know when we have more information. And please put on something dry, you're dripping all over the floor."

Hetty cut the feed. Sam and Callen went to the lockers and grabbed some dry clothes.

"What more could this guy want?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good. Why blow up his own boat and frame us for it? It makes no sense."

"No it doesn't, but I'm pretty sure he has a plan."

"Well at least we were able to contact the team now."

"But while we're stuck in here he can be doing god knows what outside. He could still have a target on Zoya or my family."

"They've sent agents over. They will be okay. He must know by now that the team is tracking him. They will find him."

About twenty minutes later Hetty's face popped up on screen again.

"Everything okay Hetty? Is my family okay?" Sam asked.

"Yes Mr. Hanna your family is safe."

"What about Zoya?" Callen asked. Callen saw by the look on Hetty's face that something was wrong. "Hetty, what is it?"

"When the agents arrived at your house the door was broken into. There was a struggle inside and Zoya wasn't there."


	8. Chapter 8

Just as Callen was about to say something his phone rang, his backup phone. He kept one in the boatshed. Callen saw it was Zoya's back up number.

"Hello Zoya?" Callen answered the phone.

"Yeah it's me G."

"Oh thank god. I thought something happened to you, someone broke into our house."

"Yeah I know. I was there when it happened. I managed to shake them. What's going on G? I tried calling your regular number but it went to voicemail straight away. Then I started calling your backup phones."

"Can you come to the boatshed? I will explain everything to you."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

Callen hung up the phone. He was beyond relieved that Zoya was okay.

"Zoya is okay Hetty, she managed to get away. She's on her way to the boatshed now."

"Alright, that's good Mr. Callen. We'll keep searching for these guys. Until we've found them I want you two to stay in the boatshed. I will call LAPD to have them lift the arrest warrant for the two of you."

"Thank you Hetty."

Zoya drove to the boatshed. She was careful to not being seen by anyone suspicious as she walked up to the door. She knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

Callen walked to the door when he heard a knock. Hand on his gun he opened the door. He released his weapon once he saw it was Zoya.

"Zoya, come on in."

Zoya walked in and Callen quickly closed the door again. Callen turned to Zoya and pulled her in for a hug.

"Are you okay honey?"

"I'm fine G. They didn't really hurt me. I may be injured but I still know how to fight. Who are these people?"

Callen took Zoya over to the couch and started explaining what had happened today.

"So he's after you because you killed his sister?"

"Yes, I don't know how he found out. It could be the mole. We have a mole inside our organization, we just don't know who it is yet. We think that he or she leaked the information to Chambers that it was our team that killed his sister. We played along like he asked of us but when LAPD came after us we had to run and we went here. It was then that Hetty told us about our place being broken into. I was so afraid that they had gotten to you."

"I'm an agent Grisha, I know how to protect myself. I spotted them long before they even set foot in our house. I think I shot one as I was getting away from them. When I had the change I got in the car and got away from the house, I knew I'm not in the best physical condition so I thought it was better to avoid hand-to-hand combat. I didn't know what was going on but I remembered them shouting something about you. So that's why, when I was sure I had shaken them off, I called you. I got worried when your regular phone when straight to voicemail. Luckily I could access the list with your backup phones so I started calling them."

"Hetty wants us to stay here until they found them."

"Maybe I can call my team so they can help, they went after me too so."

"They went after you cus of me. Eric and Nell will find them, no need to bother your team with this."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry they came after you."

"It's okay G, I can look after myself. So what's this guy's endgame? To catch you, make you suffer?"

"I don't know. We had to do some things for him but then he set his own boat on fire and tells LAPD it's us. It makes no sense. Unless he wants us distracted from what he's really doing."

"Which would be what?"

"I don't know. Eric and Nell are really good. They will find out what it is and they'll find him."

It was about an hour later when Eric's and Nell's faces popped up on the screen.

"Hey guys," Nell spoke.

"Hey Eric, Nell, did you find him?" Callen spoke as he and Sam walked over to the monitor.

"Yes we found him. He's right outside the boatshed."

"What?!" Sam called.

"Yeah, he just showed up on the camera outside the boatshed."

Nell put the video footage on screen. He was there waiting, leaning against his car.

"What's he doing?" Zoya wondered, she had joined the partners too.

"I don't know. He's been there for about ten minutes now."

"Do you think he knows that we're in here and this is our boatshed?" Callen questioned.

"Well his boat was directly across from the boatshed. It may be a coincidence but now that he's here too I wonder if he knows. Could be that the mole tipped him off about the boatshed," Sam replied.

"Kensi and Deeks are on route," Eric interjected.

"Have them stand close by but out of sight. I wanna know what his plan is. Sam and I will go outside to see what he wants."

"You think that's wise G?" Zoya asked. "You could be playing right in his hand."

"What other choice do we have? He's not leaving by the looks of it. Are you okay to shoot if necessary?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I can shoot with one hand and my foot is feeling better."

"Alright. Eric, can you connect me to Kensi and Deeks?"

"Yeah sure." Eric pressed some keys on his table. "They are on line."

"Kens, Deeks, here's the plan."

Callen told everyone his plan. With everyone knowing what to do they waited for Kensi and Deeks to arrive. They were there a few minutes later since the boatshed is not that far from the office.

"We're here Callen," Kensi called over the coms. "Got eyes on Chambers."

"Alright, Sam and I will come outside."

They used the side entrance to go outside. Zoya stayed hidden but with eyes on Chambers as Callen and Sam walked up to him.

"Ah finally, I was wondering when you guys would show yourself," Chambers spoke when he saw Sam and Callen.

"What do you want Chambers? We did everything you wanted and you still went after my girlfriend," Callen said.

"I wanted to hurt someone you care about since you killed someone I care about!" Chambers spoke with anger in his voice. "Except it didn't turn out that great. She put up a fight and she got away."

Callen smirked. Zoya had told him how she fought off the men and she was pretty sure she had shot one. "How are they doing?" Callen asked with a smirk.

"Enough chit chat agent Callen."

"What do you want?"

"To see you suffer, dead."

Before Callen and Sam realized it Chambers' men pulled their weapons out. They were however too slow and two sniper shots were heard. Callen and Sam grabbed their weapons and aimed them at Chambers.

"It's over Chambers," Callen told him.

Chambers tried to grab his weapon but Callen and Sam were faster and shot him, not fatally. Callen and Sam quickly went over to him and removed the weapon from his reach. He was not fatally wounded but he still required medical attention. Zoya, Kensi and Deeks came out of their hideouts. Zoya and Kensi had their sniper rifles with them, well Kensi had her own one from her car and Zoya had used one that was stashed in the boatshed.

"Nice shot girls," Callen spoke to them.

"You good?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah we're good."

Deeks called it in and they waited for the paramedics to arrive.

"I'm gonna go to the hospital with Chambers, question him when he's stable," Callen told Zoya.

"Alright that's fine."

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine G, don't worry about me."

"Alright, I'll see you later at home. You're good to go home?"

"Yes G, I'm good."

"Okay." Callen gave Zoya a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful with this guy."

"Don't worry about me but I'll be careful."

"Okay good."

"G, we gotta go," Sam called over.

"I'll be right there," Callen called back.

Callen gave Zoya one more quick kiss before he joined Sam in the challenger and they drove to the hospital.

"So you're a sniper too," Kensi wondered as she approached Zoya.

"Yep, graduated top of my class."

"Nice. What's your longest shot?"

"That would be around two thousand yards. I took the shot when I was in Afghanistan for a mission."

"Two thousand yards? Impressive."

"How about yours?"

"Around fifteen hundred yards a few years back."

"That's a good shot too. What kind of weapon you used?"

"I always use the DPMS TAC20. You?"

"I use the Remington 700 AICS. I've been shooting with that rifle for years."

"A nice weapon but this is not that weapon," Kensi spoke pointing to Zoya's rifle.

"No that's right. I didn't have my rifle with me so G gave me this one. It was stashed in the boatshed. Well I did have my own rifle with me but it was in the trunk of my car and Chambers was right next to it so I couldn't get that."

"Nice shot anyway."

"Thanks you too."

Kensi and Deeks stayed to wrap up at the scene. Zoya went back inside. She cleaned the weapon before putting it back in the box and putting it where Callen had grabbed it. Zoya got in her car and drove home.

Callen and Sam waited at the hospital until they could talk to Chambers. It was about thirty minutes later when the doctor told them they could question Chambers. Callen and Sam walked into Chambers room. He was cuffed to the bed.

"Who gave you the information about the boatshed?" Callen asked.

"You could ask that question to someone who works with you."

"If you tell us you might get a better deal. All we need is a name."

Chambers pressed the button for the nurse and kept his mouth shut. A little later the nurse walked into the room.

"Yes Mr. Chambers?"

"These men are bothering me, can you please call security?"

"We're federal agents," Callen said as he showed his badge.

"These men are bothering me."

"He's a suspect in one of our cases. We have to question him."

"You can do that later once he's more stable, for now I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Callen and Sam left but kept an LAPD officer posted at the door. Callen and Sam went to Chambers' place to see what they could dig up about the mole. They had to be careful in communicating but if anyone could find him it would be Eric and Nell. The two agents looked around Chambers' place and took anything electrical with them, sure there had to be a sign of the mole on there or something. When they arrived back at the office Kensi and Deeks were already there. Callen brought the electronical devices up to the wonder twins and they got started right away.

It was about two hours later when Eric whistled everyone up. Once everyone was up, including Hetty and Granger, Eric locked the OPS center and the entire office so no one could get out.

"What have you found Mr. Beale?" Hetty asked.

"We have identified our mole," Eric spoke proudly and he put several pictures on the big screen.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, we triple checked everything," Nell said. "We are sure it's him."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"He was in the armory. I locked him in there." Nell looked at her tablet. "It seems like he's on to us, he just disabled the cameras inside the armory."

"Go get him, but be careful. He has a lot of firepower in there," Hetty told the agents.

They grabbed their weapons and went to the armory. Carefully they approached the armory. The gate was still down. Callen carefully peeked around the corner but was immediately welcomed with flying bullets from an assault rifle.

"He can last way longer than us in there," Callen stated. "What kind of gear do we have in the car?"

"I've got my sniper rifle and some knifes," Kensi answered.

"Sam, what do you have in the trunk?"

"Not much."

Callen thought about their options. "I have an idea, wait here."

Callen left. The others wondered what Callen's play was. A little later Callen returned with a few glasses.

"Put these on guys."

"Night vision glasses?" Deeks questioned softly.

"Yes, we have Eric cut the feed so we can get him."

"Get him alive Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke through the coms.

"Will try Hetty." Everyone put their glasses on and got in position. "Eric, open the gate and cut the power on three. One, two, three."

Eric shut down the power after the gate opened. Everything went dark. Callen moved around the corner first. He looked through his glasses and spotted a heat signature. He shot the man in his legs making him go down on the floor. Callen quickly walked up to him and cleared him of his weapon as the other agents came after him. Eric turned the power back on. The agents removed their glasses and found their mole, James Spade, lying on the ground, grabbing his leg. Callen pulled him up and put him on one of the stools in the armory and cuffed his arms to the table.

"You can't keep me here, you shot me! I need medical attention!" James complained.

"You'll live," Sam told him.

A little later Hetty and Granger stepped around the corner and into the armory.

"So it was you all along Mr. Spade," Hetty spoke. "Why did you do it? Was all the money really worth all of this? You put the lives of our agents at risk time after time."

"I've been working here for years and you never gave me a raise or promotion. I needed the money and he promised me a whole lot more. I'm not telling you anything," James spat at Hetty.

"Oh you will Mr. Spade, it's just a matter of time. Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks, please escort Mr. Spade to the hospital and then take him to the boatshed."

"You got it Hetty," Kensi responded.

"Up you go," Deeks spoke as he lifted James up after undoing his cuffs and now cuffed both his arms behind his back. "You're gonna be begging for you momma once Hetty is through with you."

Sam and Callen secured the weapons James had used. They were glad they had finally managed to catch the mole. Now it was hoping they would capture the big man behind this all. The two agents finished up their paperwork before they went home.

…..

The next day when the agents returned to work Hetty wasn't there yet. She was still at the boatshed questioning James. The agents went to work on some paperwork and old cases until something new would come up.

About an hour later Hetty walked into the bullpen.

"Well the good news is that Mr. Spade finally talked, the bad news is that he was working for a larger group. He needed some, how you put it, convincing but he finally gave them up. We have a location on where they hide out. Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones are checking the place out now as soon as they've verified it you can go tactical."

"Already verified it Hetty," Nell spoke as she and Eric came down the stairs. "This is the location they have been hiding out."

Eric and Nell told the agents everything they knew about the building and the people in it. The four agents grabbed their gear and took the explorer to the location. They got into their positions and stormed the building. After heavy gunfire they perps where finally all down. The team checked the building and found a lot of sensitive information, about their office but about other offices too, which meant they had moles in other federal agencies as well. The agents gathered everything and took it back to the office. Eric and Nell looked through everything and told Hetty which agencies needed to be contacted. The team was glad that they had finally managed to get the mole and the organization behind him, it had gone on for far too long. Too many people had to suffer because of their actions.

By the end of the week Hetty had gotten notice from the other agencies that their moles had been captured as well. Not a bad week's work. The agents were glad to go home for the weekend. It had been a busy week for all of them.

"Hey G," Zoya spoke as Callen walked into the house.

"Hey Zoya."

Callen walked over to the couch and gave Zoya a kiss.

"Did you get them all?"

"Yes we did. Hetty heard back from the other agencies. Everyone is taken into custody."

"That's good. I can't believe someone would do this, just for money."

"Yeah me neither, I'm just glad it's over now. How has your day been?"

"I has been good. I looked online and I found another house."

"Oh really? Another one? Where?"

"In the same neighborhood, on West Friends street. It's about four and a half million so it's in between the two houses we found already. It looks really nice."

"Let me see."

Zoya grabbed her laptop and showed Callen the house.

"You're right this does look good."

"Yeah it does look nice. Shall I make an appointment for this house too?"

"Yeah sure."

Zoya called the realtor, they could visit this house tomorrow too. They had another viewing of the two others houses tomorrow too.

The next day Zoya and Callen started with their house seeking quest once again. They first went to the house on Earlham street and then to the one on Topoya drive. After that they went to the house on West Friends street. After they had seen all the houses Callen and Zoya talked together and went to the realtor's office.

"Have you made your decision?" The realtor asked.


	9. Chapter 9

"Yes we have," Callen answered. "We decided to go with the house on West Friends Street."

"That's good. What are you willing to pay for it?"

"The price that was asked."

"Alright. Let me just call the owners to see if they accept it."

The realtor dialed the number. Callen and Zoya sat anxiously waiting to see if they could buy the house. They had really liked this house. It was just perfect. It was just behind the Pacific Coast highway. West Friends Street was a pretty long road. Their house was located near Portero Canyon Park. On the map it was on the left side of the street a few houses down from the crossing with North Lombard Avenue. It was about a half an hour drive to their offices.

A couple minutes later the realtor hung up the phone.

"The owners have agreed to your bid. The house is yours," the realtor spoke.

Callen and Zoya looked happily at each other.

"Great thank you."

"Let me get all the paperwork in order and I will contact you when you can come and sign it."

"That's fine."

Callen and Zoya shook his hand and left.

"I can't believe we have a house!" Zoya spoke once they were outside.

"Me neither, but I love it. It's perfect for us."

"Yes it is."

Callen pulled Zoya to him and kissed her before they got in the car and went home.

…

A few days later they went back to the realtor's office and signed the papers. They had made everything in order already with the bank about payment and mortgage and such. Even though Zoya had more than enough money to buy the place they decided to pay three and a half million now and put the remaining one million in mortgage. They would use some of the remaining money for remodeling and such and just to keep some in reserve.

They were in luck. The owners had already found a new house so they could move in right away. After signing the papers at the realtor's office they were handed the keys to their new home. After leaving the realtor's office they went straight to the new house, to check it out for the first time as their house, without the furniture of the previous owners in it. Callen drove up to the house and parked the car in the driveway.

The house was a green/grey color on the outside. It had a driveway with a garage behind it. Between the front yard and the sidewalk was a light stone wall with two lights on it at the ends near the driveway. The garage and the far front of the house were at the same length. In between the garage and the house was a pathway leading up to the front door. The pathway was partly covered with a couple of beams, with some space in between the beams. They entered in a small hallway. On the left side was a door leading to the garage. Just behind that was a small room which was used as a laundry room. In the hallway was also the door to the downstairs bathroom with just a toilet and vanity in it. Through doors they walked into the main room. On the left side of the room were the stairs to the upper floor. There was a wall on the left side and some open space before the living room started, the previous owners had the dinner table there. Behind the wall on the left side was the kitchen. The kitchen had an island in the middle with a sink and stove. On the left side, standing in front of the island parallel to the wall, were some cupboards, a big storage closet with different doors and the oven, microwave and double door fridge. Directly across from the island was some more counter with cupboards and the dishwasher. The kitchen went all around to the back wall. Above the counter at the back wall were windows overlooking the backyard. On the right side of the room was the living room. At the far end of the wall immediately to the right was a door leading to the room on the front of the house. The previous owners used this as a TV room. There was a fire place in the living room. The roof in the living room was a little bit higher than in the rest of the downstairs floor. The living room had sliding doors, with windows above it, leading to the covered patio. The covered patio had a canopy of wooden beams over it with a big plant covering the top of the canopy. On the side of the yard, next to the outdoor barbeque was a wooden bench attached to the patio wooden frame for sitting. The patio had stairs going down to the back yard. The stairs were on the right side of the patio. Underneath the patio was a small storage space. The first part of the yard was covered with stones, behind that was grass with a stone path leading to the back of the yard where the pool was. Several palm trees stood around the pool.

The upstairs floor had six bedrooms and five full bathrooms. The master bedroom was at the back of the house with access to the balcony. They could see the ocean a bit from their balcony. The master bedroom had a big master bathroom with separate shower and bathtub. The bathtub was in front of the window and the shower right next to the door on the right side. Between the shower and the tub was a double vanity with a mirror covering the entire wall. On the left side was the toilet. On the back of the house was one more bedroom. In between these two rooms was the master bathroom. The other bedrooms and bathrooms were at the front of the house. The other bathrooms had a single vanity and shower and bathtub in one, with one bathroom only having a shower.

It looked really nice. Callen and Zoya could totally picture living here. The house looked in perfect condition but they wanted to do some remodeling, mostly painting. The entire house was a bit in green/grey style. They decided to paint the outside sand colored, they hired someone to do that. The downstairs walls they decided to paint light yellow, almost white, the walls on the stairs too. The carpet in one of the upper rooms they didn't like so they would rip that out and put sand colored carpet in it with the same yellow color on the wall as downstairs. The rest up the upper bedrooms all the wooden floors. Callen and Zoya didn't like this for upstairs so they decided to pull those out. One bedroom had green/grey walls, they choose light grey carpet for this room. Another bedroom had pink walls, this was a kids bedroom previous, so Callen and Zoya decided to paint these walls white and put lime green carpet in the room. The bathroom that went with this room was also pink so Callen and Zoya decided to paint those walls white as well. For the master bedroom they decided on light yellow paint, just like downstairs, and a little yellow carpet. The tiles on the walls in the master bathroom were green/grey too, they decided on light yellow tiles with a pattern on it. The tiles on the floor where brown so they left those there. In the other bedrooms they put the same lime green carpet and painted the walls white. The other bathrooms they would leave like this for now. The wooden floors on the patio were good too so they left those there. To the front and back yard they wouldn't make any color changes.

Satisfied with how everything would be Callen and Zoya went back home.

"Happy with our new house?" Zoya asked.

"Very happy. I'm sure it will look great."

"Yeah me too. I'm very happy to buy a house with you."

"Me too. Although I never thought it would be this big."

"You are okay with me paying for most of it right?"

"Of course I am honey. It's a great house. It's perfect for us. I just never pictured myself living in one of those houses or that neighborhood."

"It's gonna be great I just know it."

Callen pulled Zoya to him. "Of course it will, you'll be there with me."

Zoya wrapped her arms around Callen's neck and pulled him closer so she could kiss him. "I love you Grisha."

"I love you too Zoya."

"A new beginning for us."

"Yes it will be. A clean start for us, everything forgotten, just you and me together."

"Yes, a clean start. No more secrets, trust each other."

"I'm working on that."

"I know G and I know I hurt you when I lied to you, but that was never my intention."

"I know Zoya and I understand why you did, I just wished you didn't."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"We're gonna be okay. Everything is gonna be fine. We'll build a wonderful live together in our new house."

"Yes we will and I'm really looking forward to it."

"Me too."

They enjoyed the rest of the night on the couch before going to bed.

….

On the weekend they went to the store to buy paints and carpets. They also hired a company to paint the outside of the house for them. The store where they bought the carpets, some employees would come put the carpets in. Not the coming week but the week after that, giving Callen and Zoya a week to paint the walls. So they would start painting the upper floor first. The painter for the outside started next week. The company to redo the bathroom was coming next week too.

After they had paid for everything they went to Target. They went to look for stuff in the backyard already. The backyard was done already so they could place furniture in that already. The rest of the house they would do later. They bought eight thick woven all weather dark brown chairs with lime green cushions on it and from the same set a dining table and a bench with a green cushion. For upstairs on their balcony they bought a set with a small round table and two foldable chairs in dark brown thick woven too. For the back yard they bought a lounge set from the same collection as the dining table and chairs on the patio. The set contained a three-seater sofa, two lounge chairs and a small table. They would put this near the pool. On the left side of the pool they had some paved garden free for furniture. From this collection they also bought two chaise lounges. All the chairs, sofa and chaise lounges had lime green cushions. They also bought a synthetic wicker patio set. This set was also dark brown with lime green cushions and contained two patio arm chairs, two ottomans which you could slide underneath the seat and an accent table. They would just do the furniture for now, the decoration for the back yard they would get later. They paid for everything and the stuff would be delivered to the house next week.

In the afternoon Callen's team came by. They were wondering about the house.

"Wow, this is really nice," Deeks remarked as he walked into the house.

"It looks nice," Nell added.

"Nice place you got here G," Sam told his partner.

They gave the team a tour of the house.

"You have a nice house here Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke.

"Thank you Hetty."

"I'm sure you and Ms. Foster will be happy here."

"Oh yes I'm sure we will."

Hetty left, the rest stayed to help around the house. Zoya was still bothered by her injuries so she couldn't do so much. Callen, Sam, Deeks and Kensi went upstairs to paint while Zoya, Nell and Eric stayed downstairs. Nell and Zoya went to clean the kitchen as Eric went to look at their electronics. Nell went on the steps and did the upper cupboards as Zoya did the counter and the lower cupboards.

Callen and Sam started in the master bedroom while Deeks and Kensi went to one of the other bedrooms. They didn't need to bother with putting anything on the floor because they were going to be ripped out anyway.

"I'm happy for you and Zoya," Sam told Callen.

"Thanks Sam. I'm happy with her."

"Yeah I can see that. How are the two of you doing?"

"We're doing good, I'm beginning to really trust her again. We're in a good place."

"That's good. I'm glad you found someone."

"Me too Sam, me too."

Around 7pm pizza arrived. They sat on foldable chairs on the patio and enjoyed the pizza and beer. Callen and Zoya thanked everyone for their help before they went home. Callen and Zoya painted one more bedroom before going to their old home.

"I can't wait to be living with you in our new home," Zoya spoke as they lay in bed that night, on their sides facing each other.

"Me neither. I really love our house. It's gonna look amazing."

"Oh yes it will."

"I'm not really good with decorating so I'll leave that to you."

"That's fine but you have to come to pick out the furniture, you have to like it too."

"I know and I will."

"Good."

"So you'll be at the house next week for the workers?"

"Yes I will be."

"Alright but promise me you'll take it easy, you're still healing."

"I will take it easy G."

"Okay good." Callen pulled Zoya closer to him and kissed her. "I love you Zoya."

"I love you Grisha."

Callen kissed Zoya again before turning her over on her back. He moved his lips down to her neck and kissed her sweet spot.

"Oh G, that feels good," Zoya moaned. "But I'm not sure this is such a good idea with my injuries."

Callen lifted his head up and looked into her eyes. "Oh right I wasn't thinking."

"We can still try it and if it hurts too much we can always stop," Zoya spoke with a smirk.

"Oh I would love that." Callen bent his head down to her neck again and whispered in her ear. "I've missed making love to you."

This man knew exactly how to push the right buttons. She was never able to resist him, not that she ever wanted to. Callen knew exactly what she liked and to have her squirming in his arms. She also had the same effect on him.

Zoya loved what Callen was doing, he was just so good at pleasuring her. He hadn't done much yet but she was already squirming in his arms. Callen took his time, being careful of Zoya's injuries but she assured him that she was alright. Callen made sure they were both in the game before making love. It felt so good to be with her again like this, he had missed this. Zoya held on to Callen for dear life as he moved, it felt so good.

A while later they lay panting heavily on the bed next to each other.

"Wow that was really good," Callen uttered.

"Yeah, I'll say. That was really good. Thank you for that honey."

"You're welcome babe. Was it not too much for you?"

"Not it was fine."

"Okay good."

Callen crawled closer to Zoya and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her and lay his head down next to her.

"Goodnight Zoya."

"Goodnight Grisha."

…..

Monday Callen went to work and Zoya went over to the house. The workers would start today. Just after 9pm the painters for the outside arrived. Zoya told them what she wanted and they got started with the front of the house. Zoya put two foldable chairs and a makeshift table outside for the workers. A little later the employees of the bathroom store came too. Zoya took them upstairs and told them what needed to happen.

Eric had already set up their home network so Zoya could plug her laptop in. She sat at the kitchen island and went to answers some of her work emails.

..

"Morning Sam," Callen spoke as he walked into the gym. Only Sam was there.

"Morning G."

Callen went to change in some workout clothes and he and Sam sparred for a while until Eric came to get them for a new case.

"What have we got Eric?" Callen asked as he and Sam joined the other team members in OPS.

"This morning a high speed chase with LAPD was going on in Downtown LA. When the LAPD managed to stop the vehicle gunfire erupted," Eric told them.

"Once the perps were down," Nell continued. "The officers approved the vehicle and searched it. This is what they found in the trunk."

Nell put some pictures on the screen. The agents looked at the pictures and saw a bunch of military grade weapons and explosives in the trunk.

"Any idea where they came from?" Callen asked.

"So far we haven't gotten a clue yet. We contacted Pendleton but they didn't know anything yet. They would look further and do inventory to see if anything was missing."

"What about the dead guys?" Kensi asked.

"They are ID'd as Hugo Ramirez and Javier Moreno," Eric informed them as he put the two ID's on the screen. They both have ties to Mexican cartels."

"Find out where they got these weapons and explosives. We'll go to the scene to see if we can find something there."

The two techs went to work as the agents went to the scene. The team showed their badges to get on the scene. They put their gloves on and went to look at the vehicle and the bodies. Callen and Sam went to look at the weapons and explosives that were in the trunk. They did inventory of all the weapons and explosives found there. Callen pulled a crate of explosives out of the car. When he had removed the box he saw that there was a bomb underneath. Him pulling the grate off triggered the device.

"Bomb! Everyone get back!" Callen yelled.

Everyone tried to get away as quickly as they could before the bomb exploded.


	10. Chapter 10

When Callen yelled bomb everyone tried to get to safety as soon as possible. Because there were some explosives in the van too there was a big bang. Minutes later the place was covered with firemen and paramedics. Some were patched up at the scene and the others were taken to the hospital, which included the four agents. Since Callen and Sam were closest to the van they got hurt the worse of the four agents. All four agents were taken to the hospital and to the ER.

Hetty had heard what happened and went to see how her team was doing. She walked into the ER and saw Kensi and Deeks first, they were just getting released by the doctors. Kensi and Deeks saw her and walked up to her.

"What happened out here?" Hetty asked the two juniors.

"We're not sure. We were checking something else," Kensi answered. "Sam and Callen were busy with the van and taking the weapons out. Suddenly Callen yelled that there was a bomb, before we knew it there was a huge explosion."

"Are you two alright?"

"We're fine, just some cuts and bruises."

"And Mr. Callen and Mr. Hanna?"

"We're not sure, they were closer than us. They looked pretty banged up."

"Are you two okay to work?"

"Yes we're fine Hetty."

"Alright, go back to the office, see what Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones have come up with. Find out who did it."

"We will Hetty."

Kensi and Deeks went back to the office and Hetty went to see if she could find out what had happened to her two senior agents. She looked around but she didn't see Callen and Sam. She went to the desk.

"Excuse me, two men were just brought in here, they were hit by the explosion."

"Which two men? We had multiple victims of the explosion."

"Two agents. Agent Callen and agent Hanna."

"They are being treated right now. You can wait in the waiting room and I'll have the doctor come update you."

Wanting an update on her agents but appreciating this woman during her job Hetty went to the waiting room and set there hoping her two senior agents would be okay.

About an hour later a doctor approached Hetty. Hetty recognized the doctor. She stood up and walked over to him.

"Ms. Lange, sorry to keep you waiting."

"How are my two agents?"

"Agents Callen and Hanna were hit with the blast and flew a bit through the air. Fortunately they didn't have any internal bleedings. Agent Callen has a few bruised ribs and some shrapnel in his right leg but we were able to pull those out. Other than that he has a few cuts. Agent Hanna has a left bruised wrist and some shrapnel in his left arm and some cuts. They should be alright."

Hetty was very pleased to hear her two senior agents weren't badly injured.

"They have to take some rest and they should be okay. It's best for now that agent Callen doesn't use his right leg and that agent Hanna doesn't use his left arm."

"I will make sure they take it easy but we still have a case to finish."

"I understand that but they do need to take some rest."

"I will see to that."

Hetty followed the doctor to the room where Callen and Sam were getting themselves dressed again.

"How are Kensi and Deeks Hetty?" Callen asked when he saw Hetty.

"They weren't badly injured, they are back to work already. Fortunately you two aren't either."

"Have Eric and Nell found out anything more?"

"Not when I left."

"Alright, we'll go back to the scene, see what we can make of the pieces of the bomb."

"No you're not Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke, leaving no room for argument.

"Hetty, we still have a case to work and we got almost blown up, I'd like to know by who."

"And we will Mr. Callen but you two can't go back to the scene. You two are injured, back to the office you go."

"Hetty….." Callen started but he saw the look on Hetty's face.

"Do I need to repeat myself Mr. Callen?"

"No Hetty."

"Good."

Callen and Sam finished getting dressed and returned with Hetty to the office since Sam's car was at the crime scene. It was a bit damaged by the explosion so it was towed back to the office along with Kensi's car.

Once back at the office Callen and Sam went to see what the wonder twins had come up with since they didn't see Kensi or Deeks in the bullpen. Callen didn't want to admit it but his leg was hurting a bit and he couldn't really walk the stairs.

"Hey guys, you okay?" Nell asked when the partners walked into OPS

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Callen answered. "Anything new here?"

"Kensi and Deeks have gone back to the scene to look through the remains. We've been looking into our dead guys. Other than them having ties to the cartel we haven't been able to find much," Eric replied.

Nell looked at her tablet as it beeped. "We just got confirmation back from Pendleton. It seems like they are missing some weapons, at from your inventory before the explosion it seems like those weapons belong to Pendleton."

"Do they have any idea how they ended up in the hands of these guys?"

"No not so far."

"Alright, Sam and I will head out there, see what we can find."

Callen and Sam went downstairs and they went to Hetty's office.

"We're going to Pendleton Hetty," Callen told her. "They've let us know that the weapons did come from them. We're going to see if we can find any leads there."

"You two were injured Mr. Callen."

"We will take it easy Hetty, but we have to finish this case."

"Alright. Be sure you don't stand too much on your right leg Mr. Callen and you Mr. Hanna try not to use your left arm so much."

"We will Hetty."

Sam's car wasn't repaired yet so they took Callen's car. Callen wanted to get behind the wheel of the car.

"Uhm G, let me. You can't drive with that leg," Sam spoke.

"It'll be fine Sam."

Callen got behind the wheel of the car and Sam got in the passenger seat but about thirty minutes into the drive Callen pulled alongside the road.

"Changed your mind G?" Sam spoke with a smile.

"Yeah, it thought it would be okay but it does hurt. I think you better drive."

Callen and Sam changed seats and Sam continued the drive to Pendleton. An hour later they were at Pendleton. Sam and Callen showed their badges to get onto the base. They drove to the warehouse were they stored the weapons.

"Agents Callen and Hanna," Callen spoke as they walked into the warehouse and showed their badges. "We're looking for the gunnery sergeant."

"Yeah, I'll get him," a private spoke.

A little later gunnery sergeant Robbins approached them.

"Agents Callen and Hanna," Callen introduced themselves as they shook his hand.

"Thank you for coming. We're still looking into how this could have happened. We didn't notice they were missing until you told us. We've been checking the security footage to see who could have taken them or who had access to them. These weapons and explosives were not scheduled to be transported so I have no idea how they managed to get them off the base."

"We're gonna need a list of people who had access to them."

"Of course."

Callen and Sam followed the gunnery sergeant to the office. Callen sent the list with everyone who had access to the weapons and explosives to Nell and Eric, hopefully they could eliminate some of the names on the list.

"What about the security footage?" Sam asked.

"We checked them. I did inventory two days ago, the weapons and explosives were still there at that time. So we reviewed the footage from that point on. Now everything was fine but there was an hour missing on the tapes, the cameras were shot down at that time. It most have been the time the weapons and explosives were taken."

"That's convenient," Callen said.

"Were you working at that time?" Sam asked.

"No I wasn't. The people that were working that night I highlighted on the file you sent to your people."

"Anyone you suspect of doing this?" Callen wondered.

"No, I trust my people, they are all good soldiers. I can't pick anyone would could have done this. I can't believe one of my people did this."

"Are there any other people on the base who have access to this warehouse?"

"Yes some people do have access. But they can't get into the base unless one of my people lets them in."

"Alright, can we view the footage of the other security cameras on the base?"

"You can but you have to go to the security office at the front."

"Thank you for your help, if you think of anything please give us a call," Sam told him.

"I will."

Callen and Sam went to the security office and looked at the footage of the rest of the base around the time that the cameras were shut down at the warehouse. They were looking for anything suspicious, something big enough that could hold the cargo and leave the base without being too suspicious. They found a truck on the camera and it came from the direction of the warehouse. It was the only vehicle around that time that could have carried the weapons. They sent the video to the wonder twins to see if they could track it down or track down the driver.

There wasn't much more to do here at the base so Callen and Sam went back to the office. Kensi and Deeks were back at the office too when Callen and Sam walked back in. It was a waiting game now until the partners of OPS would find something that they could check out.

It was about an hour and a half later when the wonder twins came down the stairs.

"I think we have something," Nell spoke as they walked into the bullpen. "We've been checking to see where the truck went to or who was driving it. And we checked the names that were on the list. One of the names popped up as we were looking into our Mexican friends."

"We checked the phone records and emails," Eric continued. "And we found out that a petty officer Nathan Allen has had contact with our Mexican dead guys. And guess what….. He didn't show up for work today."

"Good work you two," Callen said. "Got an address for Allen?"

"He has a house here in LA. Address is on your phones."

"Great. Let's check it out."

"Not you and Mr. Hanna, Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke as the team wanted to go out. "You two aren't cleared for field work. I can't have you out in the field like this."

"We have to catch this guy Hetty."

"Ms. Blye and Mr. Deeks are very capable of doing that Mr. Callen. You two aren't going and that's final," Hetty spoke leaving no room for argument. "Is that clear Mr. Callen, Mr. Hanna?"

"Yes Hetty," Callen and Sam replied.

"Good. Now go Ms. Blye, Mr. Deeks."

Sam and Callen watched as the two juniors walked off. They hated not going out with them but they knew Hetty was right. All they could do right now was wait but they didn't like that so they started looking into the case, see if they could find something more, prove that Allen was really the guy they were looking for.

It was about an hour later when they heard back from Kensi and Deeks. They had caught Allen when he tried to run and they were bringing him to the boatshed for questioning. About thirty minutes after that Kensi called them to tell them that Allen had spilled his guts. He was the one that had taken the weapons from Pendleton and had given them to his Mexican buddies. Allen blamed the Navy for his buddy's death, the Mexican acted on that blame and offered him a lot of money if he helped them steal the weapons. He didn't know any more about what they were going to do with it or where the Mexican dead guy were taking the weapons. Because of the bomb that had been planted in the van there weren't any explosives left and some of the weapons got destroyed too. The weapons that were recovered were shipped back to Pendleton. The agents finished their paperwork before going home. Before going home Callen called Zoya.

"Hey G," Zoya answered the phone.

"Hey Zoya, are you still at our new house?"

"No, the workers left for the day so I'm at our old place."

"Alright, I'll see you soon then, I'm on my way home."

"Okay good. I'll get started on dinner. See you soon."

"See ya."

Zoya hung up the phone and went into the kitchen. About thirty minutes later Callen walked through the door.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called.

"Hey G, I'm in the kitchen."

Callen dropped his bag by the door and went to the kitchen.

"Hey honey." Callen walked up to Zoya and gave her a kiss.

"Hey babe, how was work?"

"I was okay."

Callen walked to the fridge to get himself a beer and Zoya noticed he was limping a bit.

"What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I almost got blown up today."

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Zoya asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Just a few scrapes."

"What happened?"

"We had this case, some guys had taken some military grade weapons and explosives. LAPD caught the car in a chase. We went there to check the scene. Sam and I were doing inventory of all the weapons and explosives when I removed a crate which turned out to be connected to a bomb in the van. We all managed to get away just in time. I'm just a little banged up and got some shrapnel in my leg but don't worry, I'm good."

"Yikes, glad no one got seriously hurt and I'm glad you're okay," Zoya replied and gave Callen a kiss.

"Yeah me too."

"Did you finish the case?"

"Yeah we caught the guy, he was a petty officer."

"I hate it when enlisted people turn against their country."

"Yeah me too."

Once dinner was ready they sat down to eat.

….

That Saturday Callen and Zoya went to the store to buy some furniture. Their house was coming together nicely. The painters had finished the front of the house and one side, they were coming back next week to paint the rest of the house. The rooms upstairs were finished painting so Monday the carpets could be put in. The bathroom was coming along nicely. It was almost finished. Callen and Zoya would start painting the downstairs floor next week but they wanted to buy furniture already since it mostly had some delivery time. They decided to go to Ikea to look for furniture. They picked out two dark brown Nockeby sofas with wooden legs, two dark brown Ekenäs arm chairs, a Husinge 5 spots ceiling track, two Valje white and two Valje brown wall cabinets and four light yellow cushions for in the couch for in the living room. For the wall directly to the right as you walk into the house they bought a Besta white dresser with three dark brown doors. For in the bedroom they bought a PAX wardrobe, they could put this together themselves. They picked a three door light wood colored wardrobe with three sliding doors with light see through navy blue colored glass with some shelves, a sock basket and two hanging racks. They also bought a Karmsund standing mirror and dark blue curtains for in the bedroom. For in the bathroom they bought four Stötta led light strips for above the mirror, a Södersvik ceiling light and brown blinds.

They didn't found everything they needed at Ikea so they went to Target as well.

At Target they bought two Cecil coffee tables with walnut wood colored top and brushed nickel frame underneath it and from the same collection two side tables. For on the side tables they bought two Warehouse of Tiffany table lamps, the paw was silver and the shade was yellow with a pattern on it. They also bought two Nimbus light polished steel wall lamps, the glass was a bit yellow and the handles were silver and two brown Bali 2 wood vinyl blinds for the windows above the sliding doors for in the living room. For above the dresser they bought a country whitewash wall mirror. For the dining room they bought a Prairie butterfly leaf wood dark brown dining table with six Charlie modern wingback yellow dining chairs with brown paws. For at the kitchen island they bought three Tufted linen 25 hardwood counter stools with yellow seating and two white Maru bamboo shoji lantern to hang above the kitchen island. For above the dining table and for the rest of the kitchen they didn't need more lamps because light spots were built into the roof. For the bedroom they bought a Archer linen tufted wingback queen sized bed in navy blue color with matching mattress, two Fremont open shelf brown nightstand, which had one open shelf and two drawers, two dreamweaver 1 light bath fixture wall lights in blackened copper for next to the bed, a lite source Alcee semi-flush mount silver ceiling light, a linon side storage vanity table with matching stool in espresso color with a Manhattan square wall mirror.

The rest of the rooms they would see what they would do with them. Maybe they would put some of the furniture or their old house in those rooms. Decorations and accessories for the house they would look later, they would first put all the furniture in place and then they would see what kind of decorations and accessories they needed. Callen and Zoya were both really looking forward to moving into their home, they couldn't wait until it was done.

On the way home from the stores they decided to stop by the house. Callen unlocked the door to the house and they walked in but they stopped as they thought they heard something.


	11. Chapter 11

Both instinctively grabbed their guns. Carefully they stepped into the house, guns at the ready. They searched the entire house but they couldn't find anything. But they had still heard something as they walked inside. Callen went outside to see if the noise maybe came from outside. In the front he didn't see anything. Zoya had walked to the back door and went to check the yard. Zoya found the cause of the noise. She walked back onto the porch as Callen came walking outside.

"Did you find anything?" Callen asked.

"Yes I did, this," Zoya replied as he showed Callen a bucket the painters had used. "I guess they must have forgotten it and it felt down I guess. Luckily it was empty."

"Ah okay. You didn't see anyone?"

"Nope, no one in sight."

"Okay good."

Satisfied that nothing was wrong they went to look at the house and determined where they would place the furniture. They also did some more painting before going back to their other house.

…..

That Monday Zoya had an appointment with the doctor to see how her injuries were healing. It had been six weeks since she had been taken. Zoya had an appointment at 9am in the hospital. Callen had asked Hetty if he could go with her, Hetty agreed as long as they didn't have any pressing cases. Zoya had asked if her mother Vera could come to the house while they went to the hospital. Zoya and Callen went over there just before 8am so they could let the workers in. Around 8.30am Vera was at the house. Callen took Zoya to the hospital. They first went to get Zoya's cast off of her wrist so they could take a new picture. After they had went to x-ray they went to the orthopedic floor and sat in the waiting room. Once the doctor called Zoya Callen went in with her. The doctor examined the x-rays and looked at Zoya's wrist and shoulder. Everything seemed fine. The doctor examined Zoya's ribs as well. They were healing nicely, they still hurt a bit and so did her shoulder and wrist sometimes but she was on the right path. She couldn't return to work just yet but she was healing. The doctor wanted to see Zoya back in four weeks again to see how her injuries had healed and maybe she could start back to work again. Zoya hated being sidelined but if she was really honest with herself she wasn't even close to her old fitness, it wouldn't be good to go back into the field again.

….

A week later the house was finished and they would bring the furniture by on Tuesday. Zoya was still at home so she would be there to take the furniture.

"Make sure you don't lift too much," Callen warned Zoya that Tuesday.

"Don't worry G, I won't. The delivery guys will put it in place. We can always move it once you're home."

"Okay good."

Just as they had finished their breakfast Callen's phone rang.

"Yeah Eric," Callen answered.

"Hetty needs you up in OPS," Eric spoke.

"Will be right there." Callen hung up the phone. "I've gotta go already."

"Alright, be safe today."

"I will." Callen gave Zoya a kiss. "I'll see you later tonight in our new home."

"Yes you will."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before he left for work. Zoya cleaned up after breakfast and went to pack a few boxes. They would bring the furniture somewhere in the afternoon so Zoya still had some time to pack a few boxes. After lunch Zoya loaded some boxes into her car and drove to their new house. Zoya carried the boxes in and went to unload them while waiting for the delivery guys.

Just after 2pm the delivery guys from Target arrived. The two coffee tables were placed in the middle of the room in front of the fire place, with some space between it. The side tables were placed on the side for now, Callen and Zoya would put them in the correct place once the sofas were here. The table lamps were put on them in boxes which needed to be put together. The two wall lamps were in boxes too. Callen and Zoya would put them up later. The two blinds for the windows in the living room they needed to hang up themselves. The wall mirror was placed in the box against the wall were it would come. The dining table was placed underneath the spot lights in the middle of the space and in the middle of the wall between the stairs and the kitchen. The chairs were placed around the table. The bar stools for the kitchen island were placed at the kitchen island and the two boxes with the lamps in it where placed on the kitchen island. The bed was brought up to the bedroom, Callen and Zoya just needed to put it together, along with the two nightstands, the two boxes with wall lamps, the ceiling light, the vanity table, stool and mirror.

Zoya thanked them and tipped them for their service before they left. Just as they had left the delivery guys from Ikea stopped by. The two sofas were placed on either side of the coffee table with the side of the sofa towards the fireplace. The two arm chairs were placed on the other side of coffee table, directly across from the fireplace. The ceiling track and the cabinets were put on the side, Callen and Zoya would hang them up later. The cushions were placed on the sofa. Zoya removed the mirror so the dresser could be placed there. The stuff for the wardrobe were brought upstairs, Callen and Zoya needed to put it together themselves. The standing mirror was placed in the bedroom as well and the boxes with the curtains were put in the bedroom too. The lamps and blinds for in the bathroom were put in the bathroom.

Once everything was inside Zoya thank the delivery guys and tipped them as well for their service. Zoya went back to unpacking the boxes in the kitchen. After she had finished with the kitchen she went to the living room. Zoya put the two side tables next to the arm chairs, one of each side. She pulled two table lamps out of the box and assembled them. She put them on the two side tables. Zoya pulled the two wall lamps out of the boxes too and put them together. She would wait for Callen to hang them up. Zoya went to the sofas and put the pillow covers around the pillows and put them on the sofas, two on each sofa in the corners. Zoya pulled the ceiling track out of the box and put it together. She placed it on the sofa for now. She went to the kitchen and put the two pendant lamps together and placed them on the kitchen counter so Callen could hang them up later. Zoya went upstairs to the bedroom. She pulled the manual for the bed out and started working on that, she would see if she could do it. If her shoulder, ribs or wrist would start hurting she would stop. Zoya placed the head end of the bed against the wall right of the door, directly across from the door. She looked at the manual and figured out how to put it together. She put the frame together and secured the paws to it and then secured the frame to the headrest. It actually went okay with her healing injuries. She put the bottom in the bed and placed the mattress on top of it. Zoya lay down on it to make sure it was secure. She moved around a bit but it seemed to be secure. Zoya put the two night stands on either side of the bed. Zoya pulled the lamps out of the boxes and put them together so Callen could hang them up later. The wardrobe they would place immediately left of the door but Zoya would wait with that until Callen was home. The vanity table had been placed in the left corner next to the window. Zoya placed the standing mirror in the left corner next to where the wardrobe would come. Zoya pulled the curtains and rails out of the boxes. There were loops attached to the curtains and they needed to be put through a pole. Zoya grabbed the pole and put each loop around it, one curtain on one side and the other curtain on the other side and one separate curtain for the small window. Zoya put the poles with the curtains on the bed for now so Callen could hang it up.

Zoya could've probably hung the stuff up by herself but she promised Callen she would take it easy and it probably wouldn't be good for her shoulders and ribs.

..

Callen arrived at work and immediately went upstairs.

"What do we have Eric?"

"Last night a person on the NCIS watch list crossed over from Mexico into California. The San Diego office was tracking him and got the hit on facial reg. They tried to apprehend him but this happened," Eric informed them and he put some pictures on the big screen.

The agents looked at the screen and saw some crime scene pictures. The cars of the NCIS agents were totaled and several agents lay on the ground around it.

"Any casualties?" Kensi asked.

"Two so far," Nell informed them. "The others are still in the hospital."

"Why does the San Diego office want us to handle it?" Callen wondered.

"According to their latest intel the man in question, Ramon Sanchez," Nell said as she put his ID on the screen. "Is in Los Angeles. After the apprehension went wrong they lost him for a while but they found him again in Los Angeles this morning so they send the case over to us."

"Why is he on the watch list?"

"He is on the watch list cus he has ties to the Mexican cartels. He is wanted for a couple of murders and thefts of military grade weapons. But he has managed to stay out of their reach so far."

"Any idea where he is now?" Sam asked.

"We tracked him from where the San Diego office found him. He has been off the grid since he was spotted last but about thirty minutes ago he was spotted going into a warehouse in Culver City. We haven't spotted him leaving, so my guess is he's still there. We don't know if there are any more in the warehouse or if it's front. According to the records a tailor shop is located there, but since Sanchez went in it could be a front."

"Alright, lets gear up guys," Callen told everyone.

The team grabbed their gear and rifles from the armory and went to the address that was on their phones. With their vests on and rifles at the ready they walked up to the warehouse. Callen and Sam going through the front and Kensi and Deeks going through the back.

"Move in on my count," Callen spoke through the coms. "Three, two, one."

They all breached, rifles at the ready. They came into a main room where people were working with sewing machines and such.

"Federal agents!" Callen yelled. "Stay where you are." All the workers were terrified as soon and the agents stepped into the warehouse. "Where's Ramon Sanchez?" Callen asked one of the workers.

"No te entiendo," she replied.

"Donde está Ramon Sanchez?"

"No conozco a nadie con ese nombre.[I don't know anyone by that name.]"

Callen pulled his phone out and showed her a picture of the man. "Este hombre. Sabemos que está aquí.[This man. We know he is here.]"

"No lo conozco."

"No estás en problemas. Te podemos ayudar. Donde esta?[You're not in trouble. We can help you. Where is he?]"

"Va a ser seguro. Te podemos ayudar. Somos agentes federales.[You will be safe. We can help you. We are federal agents,]" Sam added.

"El está en la oficina trasera. Pero tiene una cerradura.[He's in the back office. But it has a lock.]"

"Gracias."

"Kensi, Deeks, stay with them," Callen told them.

Sam and Callen made their way over to the back office. It was indeed locked. It was a cypher combination.

"Eric, can you open the door to the back office?" Callen asked through the coms.

"No, it's a closed system. I can't get into it."

Callen fished a device from his pocket and opened the cypher lock. He put the device on some of the wires. "Can you get in now Eric?"

"Yeah, just a sec…..Alright I have the combination."

"Open it on my count. You ready Sam?"

"Ready."

"Alright Eric, three, two, one."

Callen and Sam had their rifles ready when Eric opened the door. Immediately they had to duck away from flying bullets. When they could the agents fired back at them. Callen looked into the room and saw a back door.

"Kensi, Deeks, go around back. There's a back door."

"Copy that," Kensi replied.

"Ap, ap, ap, not so fast," Deeks spoke once they came around the corner and saw Sanchez trying to escape. "Hands behind your head! Get down on your knees!"

Deeks kept his gun at him as Kensi cuffed him. Deeks stayed with him as Kensi made her way to the back door. She could still hear the gunfire coming from the room. Carefully Kensi peeked around the corner with her rifle ready. There was one guy keeping an eye on the back door. He shot at Kensi when he saw her. Kensi ducked away and shot back, hitting the man in his chest. Kensi helped Callen and Sam take down the other men as well. They were all dead. Callen and Sam took Sanchez to the boatshed as Kensi and Deeks stayed behind to wrap up. Some agents of the San Diego office were coming over to the boatshed. Hetty had called them to tell them they had captured Sanchez. Callen had put Sanchez in the interrogation room and he and Sam now sat waiting in the main room until the San Diego agents arrived. The San Diego agents had arranged a chopper to go to Los Angeles. They were there thirty minutes later.

"Thank you for catching them agent Callen, agent Hanna."

"We're glad we could help. How are the agents doing?" Sam asked.

"We lost two but the rest made it."

"That's good, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, we're just glad we have this guy now. He's been on our watch list for years."

"He's in the interrogation room," Callen spoke. "You can take him."

They signed the transfer papers and the San Diego agents took Sanchez away. Callen and Sam went back to the office.

..

Just as Zoya walked downstairs Callen came walking into the house, it was just past 5.30pm.

"Hey G," Zoya greeted him.

"Hey Zoya," Callen greeted back and gave her a kiss. "Wow it looks great," Callen stated as he looked around the house.

"Yeah it does look nice."

"Please tell me you didn't do too much yourself."

"No the delivery guys put it in the right place. I just pulled the stuff out of the boxes and put it together already and I put the bed together. All the things that needed to be hung up I saved for you."

"Okay that's good. I will do that later, after dinner."

"Yeah, I figured we could order in pizza."

"Sure, that's fine."

They waited until the pizza was there and sat down on the kitchen island to eat. After dinner Callen went to hang up some things. He started with the wall lights in the living room. They already had the electrician make two outlets there. The lamps were powered by a switch and not by cord. Callen held up the lamp on the left side of the door first. Zoya stood at a little distance, to make sure it was correct.

"A little higher G and a little to the left." Callen moved it. "Yes that's perfect."

Callen held it and Zoya made two marks with pencil on the wall. Callen grabbed the drill and drilled two holes in the wall. He secured the lamps to the outlet, after shutting the power down of course. Callen hung the lamp on the screws that were in the wall. He carefully let go of the lamp but it was secure. They repeated the same process with the other lamp and then went to hang up the light in the living room. The previous owners already had a light there so they didn't need to make an outlet there. After that they went to do the lights in the kitchen. Callen hung the two lamps up and made sure they were secure. Next they went upstairs. They first went to the bedroom. The previous owners already had a ceiling light so a new outlet didn't need to be put there. Callen used a cover and a strip to guide the wires a little further than the originally outlet was so the ceiling track was more in the middle of the roof. The two wall lights Callen secured to the wall above the nightstands, the previous owners had wall lights with switches too so they didn't need to make a new outlet. Next they went to the bathroom. Callen taped the light strips above the mirror and hung the ceiling up where the previous ceiling light already was. Zoya went back downstairs to turn the power on again. She checked downstairs if the lights were on and they all were and so were the ones in the bedroom and bathroom. Next Callen went to hang up the blinds in the bathroom. He drilled a couple of holes so he could secure the railings. Once the blinds in the bathroom were secured Callen and Zoya went back to the bedroom. Callen held the curtains up and Zoya looked from a distance it they were in the right place. Callen drilled some holes and secured the ends of the poles and slid the pole into the handles. The rest they would do tomorrow or on the weekend.

Zoya had already put some of their kitchen stuff in the cabinets so Callen went to grab them both a glass of wine. Callen brought the glasses outside. It was a beautiful day so they went to sit outside by the pool. Callen went back inside and went to grab them a little snack. He placed the bowl with popcorn on the table and Zoya noticed a blue velvet box standing on top of the popcorn.


	12. Chapter 12

"What's that?" Zoya asked.

"That is a bowl of popcorn," Callen replied with a smirk.

"Ha smartass. I was talking about the box standing on top of it."

"Oh that. That's just a little something for you. Why don't you open it?"

Zoya grabbed the box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful ring, it was a sterling silver ring with pave band and one big diamond in the middle and two smaller ones next to it.

"Oh my Grisha, it's beautiful."

Zoya watched as Callen got up from the couch and got down on one knee. Zoya had an idea where this was going as he took her hand.

"My sweet Zoya, I know the past few months have been a little rough between us. I'm really glad to have taken this step with you, to buy our house. I'm really happy with you and I love. I trust you with my life and I can't imagine a day without you in my life. So…" Callen took the box from Zoya and turned it with the open side towards her. "Zoya Foster, ты выйдешь за меня?[Will you marry me?]"

With a smile on her face Zoya answered. "Да, я бы с радостью.[Yes, I would love to.]"

With a smile on his face Callen took the ring from the box and placed it on Zoya's finger. Zoya pulled Callen to her and kissed him deeply.

"I love you Grisha."

"I love you too Zoya. Thank you for saying yes."

"Thank you for asking me."

They sat outside for a while before Callen got up and pulled Zoya up with him.

"How about we go christen this house?" Callen asked with a smirk.

"I like the way you think."

They took their glasses and the now empty bowl of popcorn inside with them. Callen locked up and they shut down the lights. All kissing they walked up the stairs and to the bedroom, discarding their clothes as they walked. With both wearing just their underwear they stepped into the bedroom. Callen picked Zoya up and lay her down on the bed. They kissed for a while before they made love. Afterwards they lay in each other's arms.

"Our first night in our home," Callen spoke.

"Yeah it is. I'm really happy right now."

"Me too."

Callen gave Zoya a soft kiss on her head and pulled her closer. Zoya lay her head down on Callen's chest and together they fell asleep.

The next morning Callen was awake early. He looked next to him and saw Zoya still snuggled up to him. Her hand, the one with the ring on it, was lying on his chest. Callen looked at it and he still couldn't quite believe that he and Zoya were really getting married but he was very happy about it. Zoya was the one for him, he never wanted to live without her. Callen shut his alarm off before it would go off and quietly slipped out of the bed. Zoya stirred a bit as Callen got out but she stayed asleep. Callen went to the bathroom and grabbed himself a shower. He got dressed, had some breakfast and left for work. It was just past 8am when Callen arrived at work. He went to the shooting range to get some practice. Just past 8.30am Callen walked into the bullpen. He sat behind his desk and got to work on his paperwork. A few minutes later Sam walked in.

"Morning G," Sam greeted his partner.

"Morning Sam."

"How's the new house coming along?"

"They delivered the furniture yesterday. It's looks really good so far. We bought what we needed at first so we'll see if we maybe buy some more furniture or decorations. But it's looking good. We slept there last night. It's nice to have a place together with Zoya."

"Yeah I bet it is. I'm glad you two are doing alright. You two fit well together."

"Yeah I think so too, that's why I asked Zoya to marry me last night."

Sam couldn't believe his ears, his partner had asked Zoya to marry him. Sam never thought Callen was the marrying type. "Really? Congratulations. I assume she said yes."

"Yes she said yes. I'm really happy about it."

"Yeah I can see that."

"We haven't planned anything yet but I would like you to be my best man."

"Of course G, I'd be honored."

"Great, thanks Sam."

"Morning," Kensi and Deeks spoke as they walked in.

"Morning," Callen replied.

"What were you two talking about?" Deeks asked.

"G is getting married," Sam answered.

"Really? That's great, congratulations," Kensi said.

"Thanks," Callen replied.

"Congratulations Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke as she walked into the bullpen.

"Thank you Hetty."

"But up you go now, Eric and Nell have business."

The agents got up from their seats and went upstairs to OPS.

"What have you got?" Callen asked as they walked in.

"Murder, espionage, treason, take your pick," Eric answered.

"This morning Petty Officer Oliver Riggs was found dead in his house here in Los Angeles," Nell continued. "ME put his time of death around 11pm last night. Just before his death his account was accessed and a list of sensitive information was downloaded from the server."

"What was on the list?" Sam asked.

"It was a list of covert operations by the US navy."

"Did Riggs have access to that list?" Callen asked.

"Yes, he was with the special division of intelligence. Now we can't see exactly which part cus it's all classified. But it could be that Riggs was an intelligence officer for one of the covert teams."

"Any idea how he died?" Kensi wondered.

"According to the ME, COD was a GSW to the head," Eric answered after he looked at the report on his tablet.

"Self-inflected or murder?" Callen wanted to know.

"ME couldn't say for sure but the gun was found next to his body with his fingerprints on it."

"That just makes no sense. Why would he download a list of classified information and then kill himself? I don't buy it, it has to be murder. Eric can you get in touch with his commanding officer and have him meet us at the boatshed?"

"He's already on his way," Hetty spoke as she walked into OPS. "Find out what happened Mr. Callen, if he really was killed that list of classified information could be in the hands of our enemies."

"Got it. Kensi, Deeks, go to his house, see what you can find there. Sam and I will go to boatshed. Eric, Nell, see what you can find out about Riggs. Everything, work, private, family."

"Got it," Nell replied and she and Eric got the work.

The agents walked out and went to work. Sam drove him and Callen to the boatshed. A few minutes after they arrived Riggs' commanding officer arrived.

"Agents Callen and Hanna," Callen introduced themselves and they shook hands.

"Commander Jason Chambers."

"We're sorry for you loss," Sam spoke.

"Thank you. Do you have any idea so far what happened?"

"No not sure yet. Two of our other agents are looking through Riggs' house as we speak. Our techs found out that he accessed the system and downloaded a list of covert operations and just after that he was shot," Callen explained. "According to the reports he died of a gunshot wound to the head and the gun was found next to the body with Riggs' fingerprints on it."

"No way, Riggs wouldn't kill himself and he certainly wouldn't steal classified information. He was a good sailor, one you could count on. I trust him. He wouldn't do this, not willingly. Someone must have gotten to him."

"When was the last time you saw Riggs?" Sam asked.

"Two days ago. We had just gotten back from a deployment overseas. We all have two weeks of downtime before we have to report back."

"Anything stand out about Riggs? Any threats?" Callen asked.

"No, Riggs was a good guy, everyone liked him. We're with the US Navy, of course there are threats but nothing concrete, nothing that would explain this."

"What about Riggs' private life?" Sam asked.

"He didn't really have one, no wife or girlfriend. Parents died just after he enlisted, only child. The Navy was his family. He wouldn't do something like this."

"Any idea who would?" Callen asked.

"No one jumps out at me right now. But I'll have my people look into it. I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Same with us," Sam replied.

They exchanged cards and the Chambers left. Callen and Sam went back to the office and up to OPS.

"Anything new?" Callen asked the techs.

"Kensi just send over the hard drive from Riggs' computer, we've just started combing through it," Nell replied. "So far nothing stands out in Riggs' personal life and he was a model sailor. Nothing that would implicate him committing treason."

"Anything on who perhaps entered his house?"

"He lives in an apartment building," Eric answered. "It does have cameras at the front door. Now we scanned everyone who came by there. They were all neighbors and they all checked out. But there was this guy." Eric put a picture on the big screen.

They could see him entering the building but he kept his face away from the camera and same when he left the building.

"That has to be our guy," Sam stated.

"Yeah, I'm going through cameras in the area to see if they picked him up but I doubt it. We'll let you know if we find something."

For now there was nothing more to do than wait so Callen and Sam went to the bullpen. A little later Kensi and Deeks returned as well. They didn't find anything suspicious at the house so they would just have to wait until the wonder twins would find something.

It was about two hours later when Nell and Eric came down the stairs.

"We may have something," Eric announced. "There's absolutely nothing in Riggs' private or work life and nothing to suggest that he would commit treason and commit suicide."

"But we may have gotten something on our mystery man," Nell continued. "Now we couldn't see his face when he entered or left the apartment building but from another camera we were able to see him get into a car, no luck on his face just yet," Nell spoke as she was putting pics on the screen. "Kaleidoscope tracked the car to an apartment in Ocean Park. Luckily for us there are cameras there. On one camera we were able to capture a reflection of him and we got a hit on facial reg." Nell put an ID on the screen. "His name is Tahir El Jamas, he's originally from Afghanistan but he has been living here in Los Angeles for the past ten years. He's under surveillance by multiple agency for ties to the Taliban."

"If the Taliban gets their hands on the list of our covert operations it could be very bad," Sam stated.

"Is he still at the apartment?" Callen asked.

"Yes he is," Eric replied. "Exact number is on your cell phones."

"Alright, good work. Let's gear up."

The team grabbed their vests, rifles and thigh holsters and left. Sam parked the explorer in front of Tahir's car so he couldn't escape in it and the agents made their way inside. They didn't know how dangerous this guy was or if he had company so they had taken some extra agents with them. Kensi and Deeks took a couple of agents and went up via the east stairwell and Callen and Sam went up the west stairwell with a few agents.

At the same time they arrived in the hallway. Tahir's apartment was in the middle. The agents took their positions and another agent shot at the hinges of the door with a shotgun. Sam kicked in the door. Rifles ready the agents carefully peeked around the corner. They immediately had to duck away from flying bullets.

"Federal agents! Throw down your weapons!" Sam yelled.

Whenever they could the agents fired back at that. There seemed to be four guys in the apartment. They had shot down three. The fourth tried to make a run for it. Callen went after him. It was Tahir. Tahir ended up on the balcony.

"Give it up Tahir, there's no way to go," Callen yelled at him as he kept his rifle at him.

"You're too late," Tahir replied and he pulled something out of his pocket. "Allahu akbar!"

Callen saw it was a gun. Without thinking twice Callen shot him, making Tahir fall backwards off the balcony. Callen walked over to the balcony and peeked over the edge. He saw Tahir lying face down on the pavement, blood coming out of his head.

"Callen, we have a problem," Kensi called from the living room. "Eric, can you disable it?"

Callen quickly walked back to the living room as a few agents went downstairs to secure Tahir's body.

"What's up Kens?"

"They are uploading the file somewhere."

"Eric, we need to stop this!"

"The file is already in the cloud. The autorun script executable is about to go live. I am almost there." Eric was busy typing on his computer really quickly. The screens on his computer started beeping and became dark. "Video has been disabled guys."

The agents let out a relieved sigh. "Good job Eric," Callen spoke.

"What did you just do?" Hetty asked, who was watching in OPS as well.

"I used a VNC controller to piggyback the upload with a Trojan and corrupt the streaming data packets by initiating the stack buffer overflow."

"In English, Mr. Beale."

"Oh. I broke the internet….. again."

"Well done Mr. Beale."

The agents had heard over the coms what Eric was doing.

"Eric broke the internet again?" Deeks remarked with a smile.

"Well it worked again, didn't it," Sam remarked.

The agents wrapped up at the scene and went back to the office. Callen took the laptop for Eric and Nell to analyze. Maybe they could find out where the file was being send to. The agents finished up their paperwork of the case and went to do some other paperwork before packing up. Just as they were about to leave Hetty walked into the bullpen.

"Good work everyone today. Mr. Beale and Ms. Jones have been able to find out where the file was being send to. It was a location in Afghanistan. SEAL teams in the area have been notified and they are planning to raid the place."

"Not a bad day's work," Callen spoke.

"Not at all Mr. Callen. Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight Hetty," they all replied.

Everyone went home for the night. When Callen walked into the house he could smell something lovely coming from the kitchen.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked into the main area.

"Hey G, I'm in the kitchen."

Callen looked around the house, several boxes stood in the living room, boxes that needed to be unpacked.

"Hey honey," Callen spoke as he walked into the kitchen and he gave Zoya a kiss.

"Hey baby, how was your day?"

"It was just fine. Caught a case. Someone had used a sailor to gain classified information. They had ties to the Taliban. We managed to stop them and secure the list before it was send over to the Taliban."

"Not a bad day at the office then."

"No not at all. How has your day been?"

"Just fine. Went to our old place to pick up some more boxes and unpacked them here. But don't worry, I took it easy."

"Okay good."

"Can you set the table? Dinner is almost ready."

"Of course."

Callen stole one more kiss from Zoya and went to set the table.

….

That weekend they continued getting the house ready. Callen held the mirror up for above the dresser and Zoya looked if it was in the right place. Once it was right Callen made some marks and drilled holes in the wall. Together with Zoya he secured the mirror. Next he went to hang up the blinds on the windows above the sliding doors and the wall cabinets. The four wall cabinets they hung up on the right of the fireplace. They had two white and two brown ones so they hung one brown and one white on top and one white and one brown underneath that. After that Callen went to hang up the TV. They had bought a wall rack, Callen secured that to the wall above the fireplace. Together with Zoya he secured the TV to the rack. Eric had already set up their electronics so all they needed to do was plug in the cables. After that had been done they went upstairs to put the wardrobe together. Within an hour and a half the wardrobe was put together and up.

"I've gotta get going soon. Sam is coming to pick me up for the basketball," Callen spoke once they had the wardrobe up.

"Ah okay, that's fine. I was thinking about going to the store and buy some decorations for the house, unless you wanna come with me."

"No you can pick those out. I like your taste and you're better at it than me."

Callen gave Zoya a quick kiss before he jumped into the shower. Zoya secured the hooks for the pole and put it in and then the shelves and the sock basket. Just as she was finished the doorbell rang. Callen was just getting dressed so Zoya went to open it.

"Hey Sam," Zoya spoke once she saw it was Sam.

"Hey Zoya. Congratulations."

Zoya looked at him confused. "About what?"

"Your engagement."

"Oh of course. I didn't know G told you already."

"Yeah he did and I'm happy for you two."

"Thank you Sam. G will be down shortly, he's almost done."

Zoya and Sam walked into the main room.

"It looks really nice," Sam stated.

"Thanks, yeah we feel at home already here. It's a nice place."

"Hey Sam," Callen spoke as he walked down the stairs.

"Hey G, you ready?"

"Yeah." Callen went to give Zoya a kiss. "See ya honey."

"See you. Have fun."

Callen and Sam left and Zoya looked around the house to see what kind of decorations they needed. She got in her car and drove to the store. She crossed the crossing once the light turned green. She was in the middle of the crossing when a car came from the right and ran a red light.


	13. Chapter 13

Zoya saw him coming and quickly gassed. The car missed her by an inch.

"Idiot," Zoya spoke.

Zoya heard a crash and noticed the car had collided with the car coming from the other direction. Zoya stopped the car and quickly called 911. She went to the two cars to see if everyone was alright. Just as she reached the cars, the driver of the car who had caused the accident was getting out of his car and Zoya could tell he was trying to make a run for it. Sure this wasn't a case for her but she was a federal agent and she couldn't let him get away.

"Federal agent! Freeze!" Zoya spoke as she drew her weapon.

The man tried to run but he couldn't because he had an injury to his leg. Zoya walked up to him and pushed him against the car. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. She cuffed him and put him on the back seat of his car.

Soon the place was covered with EMT's and police. The driver was taken into custody and the driver of the other car was taken to the hospital, luckily she only had mild injuries. Zoya got back in her car once she had given her statement and drove to the store.

She went to Target first. She grabbed a large cart so she could put the things on it. She bought an entryway bench in dark cherry colored wood with three white cushions on top and three woven baskets underneath it. For the backyard she bought two 3-D metal reflective wall butterflies, two panacea 16" half round black planter baskets, a Carson Harmony Gray/Wood 18" wind chime and two soft comfort patio brown/green tropical colored hanging chair with brown frame. For the front yard she picked out three panacea 15" black plant stands, a CobraCo welcome garden hanging black basket planter and a Dura-Trel Elmwood mocha trellis. As accessories she bought some shells, a drew Derose decorative white ceramic bowl with a shell theme and it had a shape a bit of an oyster shell, a recycled blue glass round vase with some rope around the neck, a Threshold decorative wood tray, a Diamond star clear glass 6"x8" bubble bowl, a set of three white butterfly wall hooks for in the kitchen and two 5"x5"x6" green artificial plants in glass vases with black. white stones in it and an Algoma 13" Sunbrella green quilted hammock with brown stand for in the backyard.

After she paid for everything and loaded everything into the car she went to Kmart.

She bought two rectangle America flag print pillow for on the bench they had on the patio, a creative motion industries American flag wall clock for in the kitchen, a creative motion industries nautical blue life saver mirror for in the downstairs bathroom, a creative motion industries nautical blue anchor clock for in the living room, an oriental black cherry blossom fan for in the hallway, an 18"x24" trademark fine art David Llyod Glover 'Pink daises wooden steps' canvas art and an 18"x24" trademark fine art David Llyod Glover 'The five steps' canvas art for above their bed, a ren-wil memories of London and a ren-wil memories of New York and a ren-wil memories of Rome and a ren-wil memories of Paris paintings for on the wall between the stairs and the kitchen, four Heritage planters sage 6", four turtle pot sitters, a green sunflower decoration watering can, a ship's wheel wall decoration, a solar yellow lab statue with plant and solar flowers and a solar dragonfly on top, two golden retriever dog statues with lantern for in the backyard, tiki 2-colored brown tabletop torches, a pacific décor 5"x8" sage colored square tapered flamepot and an Essential home three-piece glass Apothecary jars with lids.

After that she also went to Ikea. There she bought two Fredlös beige vases for on the dresser, two Hultet bamboo dishes for the on the coffee tables in the living room, a box of scented light brown potpourri and a box of scented dark brown potpourri for in one of the dishes, a pack of Saltig scented decorations sticks in assorted blue colors, two Fridfull plant pots, three Kokbanan black plant pots for the front yard, six Smycka yellow artificial orchids, a Fejka artificial potted plant with white daisy for in the bathroom, a majesty palm plant for inside, two white artificial potted plants with white roses for in the bedroom, three Papaja yellow plant pots for inside, a Pachira Aquatica plant, a pack with four Sinnlig scented green apple candles, light blow decorative stones, a Sinnlig blue scented block candle, two Leksvik racks with five hooks for in the hallway and an Ekne round mirror for in the hallway.

She needed some more things so she went to home depot as well. Here she bought two 6" bluemoon St. James planter for in the bedroom, a twelve inch yellow clay spiral pot for in the bathroom, a 17.5" unfinished wood pine and birch serving tray, a two pack assortment of beach shells, a couple of shelves for outside against the back high fence, a two piece set of light blue worn wood book ends with anchors on it, a shiny colorblock toilet brush and holder with a brown band on the bottom and screen doors for the large sliding doors and for the back door.

She also went to Kohl's to see if they had some nice decorations too. Here she bought a box with nine aqua vase filler balls, an tropical sunset 24"Hx36"Wx1"D wall art for on the wall on the stairs, a nautical brights starfish canvas 12"hx12"wx1.5"D wall art for in the kitchen, a beach dunnes III canvas 24"Hx24"wx1.5"D wall art for on the wall on the stairs too, a Sonoma faux blue shell glass box, a san Miguel Malibu votive wood candle holder with five blue glass tea light holders, a two piece set of san Miguel classic brown tea light candleholder wall scone with three tea light holders each, a Estrella garden ten-piece candle & tray set with a white pillar candle, standard votive candle + blue candleholder, a glass tea light holder with candle, three brown decorative rocks with the text dream, believe and wish and sand, seashells and starfish, an elements three-piece coastal capiz tealight holder set with one light blue, one blue and one see-through glass candle holder with rope and sea shells on it, a Chapel Hill by Croscill Landon leaf brown pomp, soap dish, bath rug, waste bin and tooth brush cup, a concepts in time 4"x6" coral reef picture frame, a Malden boat 4"x6" picture frame with sea themed decorations on it, a Malden white four-opening vertical collage frame, a box with Sonoma small coastal vase fillers, two Sonoma Sea salt tides 3"x4" Ombre candle with a seashell around it, an Inglow three-piece flameless LED pilar candle set from small to large, a three-piece filigree flameless LED embossed candle set from small to large, a Simple by design magnetic chalkboard 12"hx12"wx.38"d wall décor for in the kitchen, a Spring garden beach home bird house, a Sonoma green classic netted decorative bottle and a Melannco four-opening 4"x 6" blue photo frame with two pictures frames on the top and two picture frames on the bottom and in between in black letters the text "Family". She also already bought a Burnes of Boston 5"x7" "With this ring" frame which was a glass frame with a photo frame on the left and on the right two rings and the text "With this ring, I thee wed." for when they would get married.

She paid for everything and went to get some plants for in the garden and in the house before going home. When she got home she started unloading everything from the car. She put it inside and would put it in the correct spots later. Once everything was inside Zoya started decorating everything. She was still busy when Callen came home a half hour later.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked into the house.

"Hey G, how was the game?"

"It was good, they won."

"That's good."

"Well I see you bought quite the stuff."

"Yeah, I want to make it a nice place."

"Well, I'm sure it will be. Do you need a hand with something?"

"Yeah some things need to be hung up."

Zoya and Callen looked together at the things that needed to be hung up and where they would place them. Callen held the things as Zoya took from a distance if they hung right. Callen made the marks and once they had done every one of them Callen started making holes and hung the things up as Zoya went back to decorating the rest of the house.

The entryway bench had been placed in the middle of the hallway against the wall with the rack above it. The mirror hung on the other side of the hallway and the fan hung right next to the door.

The ceramic white bowl in the oyster shell frame was placed on the kitchen island and Zoya had put the shells in it. The butterfly hooks were hung up in the kitchen so they could put the towels on it. The American print wall clock was hung up on the right of the cupboards near the window with underneath the nautical painting. The chalkboard hung in the kitchen as well.

The blue glass round vase was placed on the dining table and Zoya had put the decorative sticks in it. The Threshold wood tray was placed on the dining table as well. On the tray Zoya had put the blue decorative stones, the Sinnlig blue candle and the aqua vase filler balls. The blue shell glass box stood on the dining table as well and so did the san Miguel wood candle holder.

The ren-wil memories paintings hung in the middle of the wall between the stairs and the kitchen with on each side one of the wall candle holders.

The two green artificial plants in glass vases were placed in one of the white wall cabinets which hung right of the fire place. The nautical wall clock was hung up on the left of the fireplace. In the other white wall cabinet the three apothecary jars had been placed with some of the yellow stones and potpourri they already had in it. The two sets on LED candles were placed in the brown cabinets, one set in each. The two bamboo dishes stood on the coffee tables, one on each with in one dish the potpourri and in the other some decorative vase filler brown vase filler balls they already had. The plant pots were placed around the living room with the plants in it. The two book ends stood on the fireplace mantel with the coral picture frame and the Malden boat fame in between in. Zoya had placed a picture of her and Callen in each frame.

The diamond star bubble bowl stood on the dresser with the Sonoma vase fillers in it. The beige vases were placed on either side of the mirror with the orchids in it. The three papaja yellow plant pots stood on the dresser with plants in it.

The nautical mirror was hung up in the downstairs bathroom above the sink.

The Malden white four-opening collage frame hung on the wall of the bottom stairs and Zoya had placed some picture of Callen with his team and her with her team in it. They two paintings hung on the wall on the landing in between the two stairs.

The two canvas painting hung above their bed and the two white roses plants stood on their nightstand in the blue pots and on the table on the balcony stood the elements three-piece tealight holder. The family photo frame Zoya would hung up in their bedroom so Callen hadn't seen it yet and Zoya had put pictures or Callen and his family in it. And in the bathroom the white daisy plant stood on the vanity in the plant pot and the toilet brush and holder stood next to the toilet. The Chapel hill products stood around the bathroom.

The butterflies were hung up in the backyard against the wall below the patio, the half round planter basket were hung up against the walls on the stairs outside the patio with plants in it, the wind chime they hung the beams of patio, the patio hanging chairs they placed against the back wall of the house between the sliding doors and the back door, the hammock was placed on the grass. The two America flag pillow were placed on the bench on the patio at the dining table. The heritage planters had been placed around the backyard with plants in it and the turtle pot sitters had been placed on the pots. The green sunflower watering can had been placed on the shelves that now hung against the back fence along with the green classic netted bottle. The ship's wheel hung above the sofa near the pool. The garden statues were placed around the backyard, the two brown torches now stood on the dining table on the patio and the sage colored flamepot and the scented green candles stood on the table at the seating area near the pool. The unfished wood pine and birch serving tray now stood on the dining table outside with the beach shells and the Sonoma candles on it and the Estrella garden ten piece candle & tray set stood on the dining table as well. The bird house was hung on the fence in the backyard.

The black plants stand for the front yard they placed against the left wall in the entryway to the door with the black plant pots on it with flowers in it, the CobraCo hanging basket planter was placed near the front door and the Dura-Trel trellis was placed near the entrance of the entry way against the right wall with a plant basket underneath it, the plant was still small now but it would grow bigger and get flowers on it.

Callen and Zoya looked around the downstairs floor. It looks nice with all the decorations. It felt complete now. Sure they would maybe add some decorations from time to time or change some things but for now it was just perfect. The furniture from their old home they would move over tomorrow. They would place the furniture in the spare rooms they had. The living room stuff would go in the room at the front of the house so they had another living room there in case they both wanted to watch something else on TV. The stuff from their bedroom they would place in one of the spare bedrooms so they had a guest room. The other stuff they didn't need they would donate to a charity or something.

Callen went to clean up the stuff he had used to hang up the stuff as Zoya went upstairs. She had quickly snatched a hammer and a nail before Callen put the toolbox away. She went to the bedroom and hung up the family picture frame on the wall directly across from the bed, between the TV and the wardrobe.

"G, can you come upstairs for a sec?" Zoya called from the top of the stairs once she was finished.

"What's up?" Callen asked as he walked up the stairs.

"I've got something to show you. I've got a surprise for you."

Wondering what Zoya was talking about he followed her to the bedroom.


	14. Chapter 14

"I've added something more to the bedroom," Zoya spoke once they reached the bedroom. "Just look around."

Callen looked around, wondering what Zoya had added. He looked around the room but so far he didn't see anything. Then he noticed a picture frame hanging next to the TV. That wasn't here before. Callen stepped up to it and looked at it carefully. It were pictures of him, of him and his family. In the top left frame was a picture of him and his dad, it was a screengrab from the video he had. In the top right frame was a picture of him, his dad and Amy also taken from the video. In the bottom left frame was a picture of his mother, the picture he had gotten when Hetty had given him the files and in the bottom right frame was the picture of him and Alina. Callen softly let his hand go over the pictures.

"You did this?" Callen asked as he turned back around to Zoya.

Zoya could see that Callen's eyes had gotten a little watery. "Yes I did. I thought it would be nice to hang them up, instead of keeping them in your box."

Callen walked up to Zoya and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you honey, it's beautiful. I love it."

Zoya wrapped her arms around Callen's neck. "You're welcome honey. I'm glad you love it."

"It's perfect. Thank you Zoya." Callen leaned forward and kissed Zoya.

"You're welcome Grisha."

"Did you take the pictures from the box?"

"I used those but you still have the original pictures in your box. I made new ones for in the picture frame."

"Okay. I really love it, it's very sweet of you."

"You're welcome G. I saw the picture frame online and I thought it would be nice."

"It really is nice. Our home is just perfect. Everything is beautiful, you did a great job."

"Thanks."

"I'm absolutely sure we're gonna love it here."

"Yeah I'm sure about that too. Anywhere with you is perfect."

"Yeah, you're right about that."

"I should get started on dinner."

"Dinner can wait."

Callen kissed Zoya again and backed her up to the bed. After making love Zoya went downstairs to get dinner ready. Once dinner was ready they moved a few of the things on the dinner table so there was room to eat. Once they had cleaned up after dinner they went outside. Together they lay down on the hammock. It was a beautiful April day, it was still hot outside. Callen lay on the hammock and Zoya lay in between his legs with her back against his chest. Callen had his arms wrapped around Zoya.

"I could lay here forever," Zoya admitted.

"Me too. Too bad we can't sleep outside."

"Yeah too bad, this is really comfortable but the bed upstairs is comfortable too."

"Oh that it is. How are your injuries feeling?"

"They are feeling good, they don't really hurt anymore. I'm hoping I can go back to work after my next appointment."

"When do you have to go back?"

"In two weeks. I hope I can go back then, I've had it with sitting home."

"Yeah I know how you feel. But it wasn't so bad now, you could finish our house."

"Yeah, that's true."

They lay there for a while before moving inside. They lay down on the couch and watched some TV before heading upstairs to bed.

…..

The next day Callen's team came by to help them move the stuff from their old house into their new house. They put the living room stuff into the room at the front of the house and the bedroom stuff they put in one of the spare bedrooms. The other stuff they put in another room for now, Callen and Zoya would see what they would do with these stuff. Zoya was at the old house packing a few of the last things. Once everything was gone Zoya made one more sweep of the place to make sure they had everything. Callen returned with the van to get the last few things.

"Is this everything?" Callen asked.

"Yep, we've got everything."

"Okay good."

Zoya carried the last box to the van as Callen stayed in the house. He looked around once more. He was going to miss this place but he was happy to move into the other house with Zoya. This house was special to him but he would always have the memories, it would be good to start a new chapter of his live with Zoya in their new house. Callen took one last deep sigh before leaving the house and locking the door.

"You good G?" Zoya asked as Callen got in the car.

"Yeah I'm good." Callen looked at Zoya. "I'm good, really."

"It's okay you're gonna miss this place. This place has a lot of memories for you."

"I know, but those memories will always be with me. It's a nice house but I'm loving our house now too. It's our house, our place to start our lives together. It's perfect."

"Yes it is and yeah you're right. Those memories will always be with you and we will create new ones in our house."

"Yes we will."

Callen leaned over to Zoya and gave her a kiss before he drove home. The others were still there. They stayed for some beer and pizza before going back to their houses. The house was now completely finished, everything of their old house was now here. They had put it up for sale and it was already sold. Zoya would hand the keys off with the realtor tomorrow.

…..

Callen and Sam were called out to investigate a scene where fire had taken please. A SCIF was at the location and a dead firefighter was found in there. They needed to determine if anything was stolen.

"So have you talked to Zoya about what happened in Russia?" Sam asked as they were driving to the scene.

"I have."

"That's good. I'm glad you talked to somebody about that. Does _she_ know your name?"

"Yes she does."

"I know you got a new ID." Sam spoke as they pulled up to the scene and they got out of the car. "Let me see it."

"There's nothing to see."

"What's the big deal, G?"

"The fact that you still call me that means it really isn't." Callen pulled out his ID and showed it to the LAPD officer.

"Old habits die hard. Come on," Sam said.

"No," Callen shook his head but Sam grabbed the ID out of Callen's hand.

Sam looked at the ID. "There it is."

Callen looked back to the LAPD officer. "Thank you," he spoke and Sam and Callen walked further.

"Grisha Aleksandrovich Nikolaev Callen.

"You happy?"

"I'm pressed that it all fit on one card."

"Yeah."

"Hold up, it's an old photo. They didn't even give you a new photo."

Callen grabbed his ID back from Sam. "I like that photo."

"You look angry in that photo."

"Come on," Callen said and he walked inside.

"Probably because you didn't know your first name."

They walked inside and examined what was left. The fire had destroyed pretty much everything. Callen and Sam walked to the SCIF where Nell was. It turned out that two hard drives were missing and someone had knocked the dead firefighter out cold. After Nell left Callen and Sam went to look at the rest of the building, maybe they could find something there as to who broke into the SCIF and had killed the firefighter. With their flashlights on they walked into another room.

"Damage is even worse in here. Tight, confined space. Perfect conditions for a flashover," Callen spoke as he examined the room.

"Huh," Sam said, realizing something. He saw a firefighter behind him passing by. "Uh, can I borrow your UV light? I'll bring it back. I'll bring it back."

Sam turned off the light and turned the UV light. The wall lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Wow," Callen chuckled. "Either somebody had way too much fun in here…"

"Really G?"

"You didn't let me finish. Or three dozen people had just the right amount of fun in here."

"Okay, Howard Stern, are you finished? That's an accelerant pattern."

"Right, but it wasn't poured. It looks like it was sprayed, but from where?"

"A lightbulb," the arson chief spoke as he walked into the room.

"Do you have an idea, or….?" Callen questioned.

"No, it came from the lightbulb. You take a needle and you inject accelerant into the bulb, you screw the bulb back in, and the when the light turns on...

"Boom," Sam finished.

After looking at the scene Callen and Sam went back to the office. Here Nell and Eric told them what they had discovered. It seemed like the firefighter may have been killed by one of his own. They couldn't tip them off, that would scare him away and they would never get the hard drives so undercover mission it was. Sam and Callen were the ones to go undercover as firefighters.

Sam went to the kitchen, preparing lunch and keeping the other firefighters busy as Callen went to snoop around. Callen snooped around the gear, looking for the jacket. But he couldn't find it. All the jackets this company had were different that the ones they saw on the footage.

"What, no steak?" Callen asked as Sam joined him.

"Oh, I had one. It was delicious," Sam teased him.

Shortly after that the bells rung and they had a call out. They were actually going into a real burning building.

Zoya was driving through LA, getting some groceries, when she had to wait for a passing firetruck. She watched the truck drive by and she could have sworn she saw Callen and Sam sitting in the back of the truck. She shook her head, she must have seen it wrong, but they really looked like Callen and Sam. Once the firetrucks had past Zoya drove through. She did some groceries before going back home.

Once she was home she starting looking at some wedding venues. She and Callen had briefly talked about it and wanted to have a summer wedding. It would work well then because they both would be off from work so they could go on their honeymoon after that. Zoya picked out a few she thought looked nice. She would show them to Callen later and once they had picked one they would see if there were available for when they wanted to get married.

It was just past 6pm when Callen walked into the house.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called.

"Hey G," Zoya replied as she walked back from the patio, she was busy setting the table. "How was your day?"

"It was just fine. Had to go undercover."

"As a firefighter?"

Callen looked at Zoya with a weird face. "How did you know that?"

"I thought I saw you and Sam sitting in a firetruck earlier today when I was shopping. I thought I saw it wrong."

"Nope you didn't. Sam and I did have to go undercover. A firefighter had been killed inside a SCIF. We thought at first that it was a fellow firefighter that had killed him, so Sam and I went undercover, but he wasn't. He was killed by the arson chief, he was the one that had taken the hard drives from the SCIF. He used a possible terrorist list, he thought he was some sort of vigilante or something."

"Ah okay. So you and Sam were firefighters? Did you really have to go into the fire?"

"Yes we were and yes we had too."

"You two okay?"

"Yeah we're fine. Sam had some training as a SEAL and I volunteered with wildfire prevention when I was eighteen. It was fine."

"That's good." Zoya walked up to Callen and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I bet you looked really hot as a firefighter."

"I guess."

"I know you did." Zoya gave Callen a kiss. "Dinner is done."

"Good, I'm starving."

…..

Today Zoya had another appointment with the doctor. She really hope she would be cleared to go to work again.

"I've gotta go to work, let me know how it goes," Callen spoke as he got ready to leave.

"I will G. Have a good day and be careful."

"I will." Callen gave Zoya a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before he left for work. Zoya left a few minutes later to go to the doctor's office. She sat in the waiting room until she was called in. The doctor examined her and deemed her fit enough to return back to work. Zoya was really happy about that. She had missed work and the rest of her team. After she was done at the doctor's office she went to work. It was good to walk into the office building again.

…

"What do you have?" Callen asked as the agents walked into OPS.

"This morning LAPD raided a warehouse in Inglewood. After a shootout they breached and they found this," Eric told the agents and he put several pictures on the big screen.

The agents looked at the pictures. They saw some dead bodies lying on the ground and on some other pictures they saw military grade explosives and plans to make a bomb with it.

"Why did LAPD raid this place?" Callen wanted to know.

"They had gotten a tip that a street gang was hanging out here but there's clearly much more to it, that's why they send the case over to us," Nell explained.

"Alright, see if you can identify the dead guys and where they got these explosives. We'll go hit the scene."

All four agents left and went to the building. Once there they showed their badges to the LAPD officer to get on the scene. They gloved up and started looking through the place.

"Hey G," Callen suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him.

Callen turned around and saw Zoya, his Zoya, standing there.

"Zoya, what are you doing here?" Callen asked confused.

"I'm working."

"You got cleared?'

"Yes I did and I could go straight to work."

"That's great, but what are you doing here?"

"Working a case."

"So are we. Did we get the same case?"

"Perhaps. What did you get?"

"LAPD raided this place and after the shootout they found military grade explosives and plans to make a bomb. What did you get?"

"One of the dead bodies matches a person of interest of ours. We've been tracking him for a while. We had suspicions he was planning a terrorist attack but we never could get anything to stick with him but I guess we were right."

"Guess we could work together on this case then."

"I'll call my boss, have him call Hetty."

"Sure that's fine."

"Hey Zoya, good to see you again," Sam spoke as he stepped up to the two.

"Hey Sam, good to see you too."

"What are you doing here?"

"Working a case, seems like we got the same case. One of the dead guys is a person of interest of ours."

"Ah okay, well look forward to working with you then."

"Likewise."

Callen and Zoya both called their operation managers before going back to work.

"How about we go to the boatshed? Compare our notes there," Callen suggested to Zoya once they were done.

"Sure that's fine."

Callen and Sam and Zoya and her partner went to the boatshed as Deeks and Kensi and the two other agents of Zoya's team went back to their own offices.

"Grisha, Sam, this is special agent Hailey Wade," Zoya introduced her partner once they were in the boatshed. "Hailey, these are special agents Grisha Callen and Sam Hanna."

"Nice to meet you both," Hailey spoke and they all shook hands. "Grisha huh? You're Russian?"

"Yes partly I am."

"He's a cute one Zoya," Hailey said to Zoya with a smile. "You did well."

"Anyway back to the case," Zoya spoke.

Zoya filled Callen and Sam in on what they had so far on one of the dead guys. She sent everything they had to Eric and Nell so they could use it and Eric and Nell had sent everything they had over to Zoya's office. For now there wasn't much more to do than wait. Zoya called her office and had the techs come to the boatshed and Callen had Eric and Nell come to the boatshed so they techs could work together.

"Everyone, these are Liam Sutton and Keira Graves, our tech operator and intelligence analyst," Zoya introduced them.

"Nice to meet you all," both Liam and Keira spoke.

"These are Eric Beale and Nell Jones, our tech operator and intelligence analyst," Callen introduced them.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Eric and Nell spoke.

"Well let's get to work shall we?" Nell suggested.

The techs set up their stuff and connected to their offices.

"So, that's agent Callen?" Keira whispered to Nell.

"Yes he is and don't forget he's engaged to your special agent in charge."

"Oh and I know but that doesn't mean he's not cute cus he is, don't you think so?"

"Oh I don't know, I've never really looked at him that way."

"He is cute, he's got that bad boy look and those beautiful blue eyes."

"Yes, he has," Zoya spoke, suddenly appearing behind her intelligence analyst.

Keira was startled by Zoya's presence. "Sorry Zoya, I…"

"Just get back to work okay."

"Yes ma'am."

The agents looked through some info and compared thoughts as the techs were busy finding new information that could help the team.

It was about an hour later when they had some new information. The agents and the techs stood around the table and on the screen the techs showed the new information.

"So, we have compiled all of our data and looked at the dead guys that were found," Nell started. "Since you guys already had some information on this guy Keira and Liam went to look for him and anyone connected to him."

"We may have a link for him here in LA," Keira told the others. "We looked into some of his contacts and the tip LAPD had gotten on the place. The common vector between that all is this man, Ramon Sanchez." Keira put his ID on the screen. "He works at a company that transports military grade weapons and explosives. Now according to the records the last shipment never arrived, it was supposed to arrive this morning but it never did and the company can't find the truck anymore."

"So it could be that Ramon was driving this truck and delivered the guns to the gang instead of where they were supposed to go," Zoya spoke. "Did Ramon show up for work this morning?"

"Yes he was clocked in."

"The only way we're gonna find out who exactly stole that truck is to go undercover there. Are they hiring someone?"

Kiera pressed a few keys on her tablet. "Yes they are looking for a new receptionist and a new delivery truck driver."

"That could work. You're up for some undercover work G?"

"Yeah sure, but you're not going undercover."

"Why not? I'm an agent."

"You just got back from an injury."

"Oh come on G. I'm perfectly capable to go undercover. I wouldn't be back at work if I wasn't." Zoya sorta yelled at him.

"You just returned to work. I'm not sure it's the best thing to do right now."

The others looked as the pair argued. Sam smiled a bit, he had some of these discussions with Michelle too sometimes.

"I'll be fine G, this is my job. You would do exactly the same."

Callen knew she was right, he would do the same and he had done the same when he came back to work after his near fatal shooting.

"Fine," Callen sighed. "Just be careful."

"I will G, I promise. You too."

"I will."

They gave each other a quick kiss before going to their offices to get ready. Zoya arrived at the company first and after her meeting with the CEO she took her place behind the receptionist desk. A little later Callen walked in.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?" Zoya asked politely.

"Good morning, I'm here to see Mr. Darren."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes it should be in there."

"What's your name?"

"Adam Reid," Callen answered and Zoya pressed a few keys on the keyboard.

"Ah yes I see Mr. Reid….."

"Please call me Adam."

"Alright Adam, have a seat over there and I'll let Mr. Darren know you're here."

"Thank you."

Callen flashed a smile at Zoya. That damn smile that made her go weak in the knees. It was a good thing she was sitting down. She picked up the phone and called Darren. A little later he came to pick up Callen.

"Well, I guess you'll be seeing more of me," Callen spoke a little later when he was back in the entrance way. "I'm gonna be working here too."

"That's nice, welcome."

"Thanks. It seems like a nice place."

"It is, I think. I haven't been here long either, just started this morning."

"Well, that's nice. I guess we were both meant to start today then huh."

"I guess so."

"I'll see you around."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Callen left and Zoya went back to her work, she was busy trying to find out if she could find anything that could be useful. During lunch hour it was quiet in the company so Zoya took her chance to snoop around. She used one of her keys to get into the server room and connected hers and Callen's office to the company servers. She was just about done when she heard someone coming into the room. She was about to hide when she noticed who it was.

"G, what are you doing here?" Zoya softly spoke.

"Just checking on you, have you found anything?"

"No, not so far. Just hacked into the servers. Our techs have access to it."

"Okay good."

"Have you found anything?"

"No, not much yet. I haven't been able to talk to Ramon yet, but something's definitely off here. They are not really trusting the newbie just yet."

They were about to leave the room when they heard someone else coming into the server room.


	15. Chapter 15

From their spot they had a covered view of the door. They looked to see who was coming in. It was one of the IT guys. They quickly snuck out to the other end of the room. The server racks were big enough to hide behind. They looked where they guy was. He was just in the server aisle next to them. Callen made sure Zoya was behind him as he kept watch on the guy with his hand ready on his gun. After a minute or so the man left again.

"That was close," Zoya spoke softly to Callen.

"Yeah it was. Guess we should get back."

"Yeah we should."

Callen pulled Zoya to him and gave her a kiss before they left the server room. Zoya went back to her reception desk and Callen went back to his job. While pretending to do her job Zoya looked into the records to see who all had access to the truck and who took it out last. Everything she found she sent over to the techs. By the end of the day they hadn't really gotten much information yet. Callen and Zoya logged out and went to their undercover apartments. They didn't want to risk going to their own home since they could be followed or watched. Hetty had given them a both an apartment in the same building, next to each other with a door inside the apartment leading to the other apartment. Callen and Zoya both took their own car to the apartment building and got in their own apartment. Once inside Zoya went into Callen's apartment. They ordered some pizza and went over what they had gathered so far on the case.

Since the apartments were adjoining Zoya stayed at Callen's apartment for the night.

"You know, it's actually nice to work with you," Zoya admitted as they were getting into bed.

"Yes it is. I've never seen you as an agent before. It's kinda nice."

"Yeah it is. And I like that I can share this undercover job with you."

"Yeah." Callen crawled closer to Zoya and wrapped his arms around her. "And we can still spend time together after work."

"That's a definite plus."

"You know, I think all of the women on your team have a little crush on me."

"Oh you picked up on that, did you. Yeah I guess they do but I can hardly blame them, you're gorgeous, sexy, you have this mysterious bad boy attitude. Any woman would have a crush on you. I'm very lucky that I get to call you mine and my team knows it."

"That's good. And you have nothing to worry about, there's only one woman I have eyes for and that's you."

"That's good to know considering we are gonna be married soon."

Callen pulled Zoya closer and kissed her. Within minutes they were making love.

…..

Two days later they finally had some more to go on. Callen had gotten close to Ramon and gotten a few hints on how involved he was with this group. It actually went way deeper. This whole company was involved. Well not everyone knew exactly what was going on but the CEO was definitely part of it. They just needed enough proof. Zoya had managed to bug his office and computer. After the techs had looked through everything they had more than enough proof that he was involved. But their plan wasn't over yet. There were more people and the bomb threat was still active. If they moved in now and arrest the CEO they'd probably never catch the others. Whatever they were still planning was going down today. Callen had managed to get a ride with Ramon transporting the bombs.

Zoya looked at her phone when she heard it beep. It was a text from Callen.

'Meet me up on the roof,' the text read.

Zoya locked her computer and went up to the roof.

"Hey G, what's up?" Zoya asked as she walked up to Callen.

"We're leaving soon. Just thought I should let you know."

"Alright, be careful. I'll keep an eye on the CEO. Do you have any idea where you are bringing the bombs?"

"Not a clue. My team are providing back-up just in case."

"My team will stay here at the office. We'll watch the CEO, if he leaves we'll tail him."

"Alright, just be careful."

"I will you too."

"I promise."

Callen gave Zoya a quick kiss before they went back in. A little later Callen left. He got in the truck and Ramon sat in the driver's seat. Callen watched as Ramon drove, wondering where they were going. They pulled up to the convention center a little later.

"Eric, Nell, convention center, what's going on there today?" Sam spoke through the com.

Nell quickly typed on her keyboard. "Let's see, there's a car show going on today, a domestic stock exchange and there's a gathering of the defense secretaries from this country and other countries."

"That's gotta be their target. G, are you getting this?"

"Yep," Callen replied without Ramon hearing him.

Callen and Ramon unloaded the boxes and brought them inside. They went up to the part where the defense secretaries were. Callen knew he had to do something, he couldn't let these people blow up the defense secretaries. Callen looked up surprised as he noticed Darren walking into the room.

"Everything set up?" Darren asked.

"Yes boss, everything is ready," Ramon answered.

"Good, wait for my signal."

"Yes sir."

Callen looked into the corridor and saw Zoya standing there, she must have come here with Darren. Darren and Zoya went into the room where the defense secretaries were.

"Ah Mr. Darren, thank you for joining us," one of the secretaries spoke. "I was just explaining to the group here what you were showing us today."

Zoya watched as Darren started his presentation. A little later he called Ramon and Callen in and they came in with the boxes. Ramon and Callen unloaded everything and the secretaries looked at it. This wasn't what they were talking about.

"Darren? What's going on?" One of the secretaries asked.

"Sorry gentlemen, change of plans. Now please remain seated."

"This is ridiculous," another secretary spoke and he stood up. "That's a freaking bomb."

"I said remain seated," Darren spoke and he pulled out his gun and shot the secretary.

Zoya looked at Callen who nodded. They both pulled their guns and aimed them at Darren and Ramon.

"Federal agents! Drop your weapon Darren!" Zoya yelled.

"What the hell?!" Darren yelled.

"Drop your weapon Darren! I'm not gonna ask again."

Darren pretended to put his weapon down but he shot at Zoya. Zoya was fast enough to dodge the shot. Darren ran away as Ramon attacked Callen.

"You good G?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah get him," Callen replied as he fought Ramon.

Zoya ran after Darren.

"Liam, get an ambulance, one of the secretaries has been shot," Zoya called into her com.

"On its way."

Darren ran out into the main lobby and down the escalator. Zoya jumped on the space in between the two escalators and slid down. The people in the lobby looked at what was going on.

"Federal agent! Out of the way!" Zoya yelled.

Just before he wanted to run outside Hailey and the other agents of Zoya's team came in and stopped him. Darren quickly ran in a different direction with Zoya and Hailey hot on his heels. Darren ran up to the service entrance and tried to get in the truck that Ramon and Callen had come in. Just before getting in the truck he shot at Zoya and Hailey again. They dodged the shot and shot back at Darren. Zoya managed to hit him as he was getting into the truck. Hailey quickly shot out the tires so he couldn't go anywhere. Zoya ran up to Darren, who was now lying on the ground next to the truck.

"It's over Darren, give it up."

"Never!"

Darren grabbed his gun again and wanted to shoot Zoya but Zoya was faster and shot him. Zoya cleared him of his gun and checked him, he was dead.

"Damn it," Zoya cursed but she had no other option. "Secure him," Zoya spoke to Hailey and she went back inside.

She went back up to the room where she was in previously. Sam, Kensi and Deeks had made their way up to Callen. Just as she arrived Kensi and Deeks were transporting Ramon outside.

"You good G?" Zoya asked as she walked into the room.

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Zoya looked at Callen, he had taken a bit of a beating. He would have black eye for sure. "Did you get Darren?"

"Yeah, but I had to shoot him unfortunately."

"Damn. We'll look thoroughly through everything of him, we'll find out how big this group is."

"How's the secretary?" Zoya asked as she saw the paramedics working on him.

"We need to take him into surgery," one of the paramedics spoke as they walked past.

The bomb squad was there to defuse the bombs. After wrapping up at the scene they went back to their offices, except for Zoya and Callen. They went to the boatshed. They went into the interrogation room with Ramon. Zoya had to smile a bit as she took in Ramon, he looked even worse than Callen. They questioned him but he wouldn't budge.

"Alright, have it your way," Callen spoke.

Callen pulled Ramon up and moved the chair.

"Open the hatch Zoya."

Zoya pulled the hatch open and put the door against the wall. Callen cuffed Ramon to the chair and angled the chair above the water.

"Now you either tell us what you know or you're gonna go for a little swim," Callen told him.

"You're threats don't scare me."

"That water is a few feet deep. With you cuffed the chair how do think to get out?" Zoya asked.

"I'm not afraid to die. I'd rather die than tell you anything."

"You really wanna die by drowning?" Callen asked. "Not the best way to go."

"I don't care. I'm not giving you shit."

"Maybe this will change your mind."

Callen pulled Ramon back up and left the interrogation room. He returned a little later with another man, a Hispanic looking man.

"Do you know this man?" Callen asked Ramon.

"No, I've never seen him before. I swear."

"Well that's funny, cus we found out he's part of your little group too."

"Nope, I know everyone and he's not part of our group."

"He is and he wouldn't talk either. This is what we do with people we don't talk."

Callen left again and returned with a block of cement, rope and handcuffs. He cuffed the other man and tied the rope to the cement and handcuffs.

"Last change."

"I'm not giving you shit," both men spoke.

"Fine have it your way."

Callen pushed the cement into the water and the man went in afterwards. Callen left again and returned with another block of cement.

"Last change for you Ramon, or you'll join your buddy."

Ramon never thought he would really do it, he had said he wasn't afraid to die but he didn't want to die either. Callen tied the rope to the handcuffs and cuffed Ramon. Callen had his foot on the block of cement and was ready to push it in.

"Alright, alright. I'll talk."

"We're listening."

Ramon told them everything he know. Callen closed the hatch again before leaving. When they walked into the main room they saw the man Callen had pushed into the water standing in the boatshed.

"You're okay agent Sanchez?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Thanks for co-operating."

"Did he talk?"

"Yes he did."

"Good."

They wrapped up and the techs gathered their stuff before leaving. Zoya went back to her office and Callen went back to his office. With all the information they had gathered they were able to determine everyone who was in the group. Zoya called Callen once they found the others.

"Hey Zoya," Callen spoke as he answered the phone.

"Hey G, we've found the rest of the group. Figured you want in on catching them."

"Yeah sure, what's address?"

Zoya gave Callen the address and he would meet them there. Zoya's team pulled up with their vests on and so did Callen's team. Callen, Sam, Zoya and Hailey went to the front door as Kensi, Deeks and the other two agents went around back.

"Breach on my count," Zoya spoke. "Three, two, one."

They breached and gunfire immediately erupted. The agents fired back whenever they could. After a while the gunfire stopped and all the bad guys were down, all dead. They looked through the warehouse to make sure that there were no loose ends before going back to their offices. After finishing up their paperwork the agents went back home.

Zoya was already home when Callen walked in.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called.

"Hey G." Zoya walked up to Callen and gave him a kiss. "How's your eye?"

"It's a little sore but it'll be okay."

"Did you already ice it?"

"Yes I did already."

"Okay good."

"It was nice working with you, you're a great agent."

"Thanks, yeah likewise. I enjoyed working with you. It's nice to see what you do at work."

"Yeah it is. We're not that different when it comes to work."

"No we're not."

"You have a nice team. I can see you're all a family just like my team is."

"Yeah we are. We spend so much time with each other that we feel like a family. We're about the only ones who know the other's real identity and what they do for a living."

"Is anyone else from your team in a relationship?"

"Just one, but his girlfriend doesn't know what he really does. She's a flight attendant, so she's not here that much. It works out good for them. The other two agents are single and our techs sorta have a thing together."

"Haha sorta like Eric and Nell."

…..

That weekend Callen and Zoya went to look over some wedding plans. They had booked a venue already. It was just perfect. Their wedding date was July twenty-third, the first Saturday of their vacation. After the wedding they would leave for the honeymoon. Zoya had already found the perfect location and had booked it after talking to Callen about it. Zoya had made a list of things that they needed to do. They already had taken care of some things. They had decided on a navy officiant. Zoya had made some appointments with a few photographers, caterers and band/DJ's.

"Have you decided on your best man already?" Zoya asked.

"Yes, I've asked Sam. What about you?"

"I'm gonna ask my sister to be my maid of honor and Hailey to be my bridesmaid."

Zoya had a sister, Eva, who was two years younger than her and two brothers, David and Ivan. David was two years older than Zoya and Ivan was four years younger than Zoya.

"That's nice. So what more do we need to do?"

"Well let's start with the invitations first. I already looked online and there's a site where you can make them yourself. I made up a few drafts already. Tell me which one you like."

Zoya showed Callen the drafts on her laptop.

"I like that second one," Callen said.

"Yeah I like that one too. Shall we do that?"

"Yes."

Zoya ordered the invitations and they would be delivered to their house.

"I'm going shopping for a dress later this afternoon and then later my sister will take you to buy your suit so we'll match."

"That's fine."

"When I have my dress I will go order the flowers so they'll match the color of my dress. So these are the things we still have to do."

Zoya showed Callen the list.

Guest list

Venue

Officiant

Photographer/videographer(appointments made)

Band(appointments made)

Florist

Caterers

Dress

Suit

Bridesmaids

Maid of honor

Best man

Bridesmaid dresses

Register for gifts

Invitations(ordered)

Honeymoon

Transportation

Day timeline

Cake

Rings

Toasts

Readings

Vows

Marriage license

Seating

Bridesmaids' gifts

Small gifts for the guests

"Transportation? What kind of transportation?" Callen asked.

"How we're gonna get to the wedding."

"Oooh, I just kinda figured we would use our own car."

"We can, but we can also rent a car that will take drive us and besides we have to have two cars anyway cus I won't be sleeping here the night before our wedding."

"Why not?"

"Cus that's bad luck. The bride and groom aren't supposed to share the same bed or house the night before the wedding."

"Ah okay. Well you can sleep here and I'll go to Sam's place."

"Sure that's fine too. I was thinking about renting a limo."

"I guess that could work. It would be nice."

"Alright, so next weekend we have a meeting with the officiant, he's gonna go over the ceremony with us so we have to figure out what we want, I'm sure he has examples but just a broad line of what we want and if we would like readings or something during the ceremony."

"What kind of readings?"

"Just some of our guests saying a few nice things about us."

"I guess but not too many."

"No of course not. And vows, do you want to write them?"

"Yes I do."

"Ha, you're practicing already," Zoya replied with a smile.

"Huh? Oh yes, I guess."

They looked over a few more things before Zoya's sister was there. They drove to a bridal store in Los Angeles. Hailey was meeting them there.

"Good afternoon, who's the lucky woman?" A friendly saleswoman asked.

"That would be me," Zoya answered.

"Well, I'm sure we'll have something that you like. What kind of dress are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Alright, I can bring you a few varieties. Do you want an all-white dress?"

"I can be something with some color in it but not like a full on red dress or something."

"Alright, I'll go grab a few dresses, please have a seat right over there."

Zoya, Eva and Hailey sat down on the couch in front of the dressing room and waited for the saleswoman to return. She returned a little later with a rack full of dresses. Zoya looked through the dresses. There were a few she didn't like so the saleswoman went to return them. Zoya took the other dresses into the dressing room and tried them on. Every dress she showed to her sister and Hailey. It took them a while to narrow it down. Zoya had three dresses left and she couldn't make a choice.

"Do you have bridesmaids dresses to go with these three dresses? I wanna see how they look together."

"Yeah sure."

The saleswoman went to get some bridesmaids dresses. Eva and Hailey tried them on and Zoya look at how they compared with her dress. She finally chose the perfect dress and bridesmaids dress combination. It was just perfect. She also chose some shoes and veil. It was just perfect. After they had decided on the dresses they went to the florist. They ordered flowers, bouquets and corsages that went with the dresses. Hailey went back home and Zoya and Eva went back to the house. Eva took Callen next to the bridal store to buy his suit. The saleswoman had told the men's department which dress Zoya had picked and they had picked out some matching suits for Callen. Callen tried on a few before deciding on a suit and shoes.

"You two will look perfect together," Eva told Callen.

"What's Zoya's dress like?" Callen tried.

"Nice try mister, you're not getting anything from me. You'll just have to wait till the big day."

"Come on, a little hint."

"Nope, sorry."

Eva took Callen back to the house and went back to her own house.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked into the house but there was no answer. "Zoya, are you here?"


	16. Chapter 16

"Zoya," Callen called again as he walked through the house. He saw that the backdoor was open. He walked outside but on the patio he didn't see anyone. He looked out into the garden and saw that Zoya was in the pool.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked down the stairs.

"Hey G," Zoya replied and she swam up to the edge of the pool. "Did you find a nice suit?"

"Yes I did. Your sister said we would look perfect together."

"That's great. Care to join me in the pool?"

"Yeah sure."

Callen went inside to get changed into his swim shorts and he joined Zoya in the pool. They enjoyed the rest of the day at home.

…..

A few days later the wedding invitations had arrived. Zoya had selected to let them be delivered to a postal collection point. Before driving home from work she went to pick up the invitations. When she arrived home Callen was already there.

"Hey Grisha," Zoya called as she walked into the house.

"Hey Zoya, I'm in the kitchen," Callen called back.

"Hey babe," Zoya spoke as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey beautiful," Callen replied and gave Zoya a kiss. "How was your day?"

"It was good. Got a case but we managed to solve it pretty quickly. How about you?"

"Not much really, caught up on some paperwork and old cases. We did manage to close two old cases."

"That's good. I picked up the wedding invitations."

"Nice. Did you look at them already?"

"No not yet. Shall I open them?"

"Yeah go ahead."

Z oya opened the box and pulled one invitation out. It was a card in shading white to light blue color. Centered on top was a blue ship's wheel with a grey banner over it with the text G & Z on it in dark blue letters. Underneath that was the text in blue:

Zoya Foster

Grisha Callen

Would like to invite you to attend

their wedding

Saturday 23 July

2016

2pm

…

Venue

16801 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA

On the back of the card was an achor in dark blue.

"It's perfect," Zoya remarked.

"Yeah it's perfect."

Zoya wrote the names envelopes and Callen put the cards in the envelops along with the directions and put a post stamp on them. Zoya would mail them in the morning. Zoya crossed off the things they already had.

X Guest list

X Venue

X Officiant

Photographer/videographer(appointments made)

Band(appointments made)

X Florist

X Caterers

X Dress

X Suit

X Bridesmaids

X Maid of honor

X Best man

X Bridesmaid dresses

Register for gifts

X Invitations(ordered)

X Honeymoon

X Transportation

Day timeline

Cake

Rings

Toasts

Readings

Vows

Marriage license

Seating

Bridesmaids' gifts

Small gifts for the guests

After dinner Zoya and Callen went to meet with two photographers. They liked the first one better so they decided to go with her. The next day they had a few meetings with DJ's and bands. They decided to go with a DJ. They made a new appointment with him to go over the music choices.

That weekend they had a meeting with their officiant. They talked to him about what kind of ceremony they wanted. The officiant gave them a few examples or texts he could read during the ceremony. Callen and Zoya picked out a few and decided on the order of the ceremony. The officiant would put everything together and would send it to them so they could make a wedding book for the guests so they would know when what would take place during the ceremony. Their meeting was in the morning. They went to grab some lunch at a café before going to get their marriage license and picking out a cake and rings.

After getting their marriage license they went to pick out wedding rings.

They looked through all the different wedding rings they had and tried on a few they liked. For Zoya they decided on a 10k white gold wedding ring with a heart in the middle with on the inside along the right side of the heart some diamonds and for Callen a hammered white gold wedding band. They wanted their wedding date engraved in it so they could pick the rings up in two weeks. Next they went to buy a cake.

"Hello, good afternoon. How can I help you?" A friendly saleswoman asked.

"Hello, we would like to buy a wedding cake," Zoya answered.

"Well you've come to the right address, please have a seat and I'll get the book with samples."

Callen and Zoya sat down at the table and a little later the saleswoman returned with a book.

"Do you have a bit of an idea what kind of cake you want?"

"Well, I was looking online at some wedding ideas and I found a cake we liked. I don't know if you can make it."

"I think we can. What does the cake look like?"

Zoya pulled out a picture of the cake and showed it to the saleswoman. It was a three-layered nautical wedding cake. The bottom layer was white with blue and light blue stripes on it, the middle layer was light blue with four buoys, one on each side, on it and the top layer was white with a dark blue band on the bottom and a blue and light blue anchor on two opposite sides. On top stood a bride and groom.

"That can be arranged. Do you want it three layers?"

"Yeah, that should be enough."

"Alright, what kind of flavor do you want?"

"What kind of flavors do you have that can make those colors?"

"Well for the white you could go with white chocolate, lemon, cherry marble, lemon marble, orange marble, raspberry marble, strawberry marble or pistachio marble. For the decorations you can use the same flavor, we can add a dye."

"Is it possible to have the bottom and top layer white chocolate with the decorations strawberry marble and the middle layer strawberry marble?" Zoya asked.

"Yes that is possible."

"What do you think? Should we do that?" Zoya asked Callen.

"Yes, that sounds good."

"Alright. Now for the topping. We have a selection of bride and grooms."

Zoya and Callen picked out a bride and groom who were dancing together.

"When does the cake have to ready?"

"We're getting married the twenty-third of July," Zoya answered.

"Alright, we'll have a sample for you then on July fifth. You can come by the store then to sample it."

"Alright, thank you."

"Thank you for choosing us to make your cake. We'll make sure it's just perfect."

They went back home. Once home Zoya grabbed the list and crossed of the things they had done today and added two more things they had forgotten.

X Guest list

X Venue

X Officiant

X Photographer/videographer(appointments made)

X Band(appointments made)

X Florist

X Caterers

X Dress

X Suit

X Bridesmaids

X Maid of honor

X Best man

X Bridesmaid dresses

Register for gifts

X Invitations(ordered)

X Honeymoon

X Transportation

Day timeline

Cake(ordered)

Rings(ordered)

Toasts

X Readings

Vows

X Marriage license

Seating

Bridesmaids' gifts

Small gifts for the guests

Flower girl

Ring bearer

"Hey G, do you think Sam's daughter would like to be a flower girl?" Zoya asked as she was updating the list.

"Yeah, I'd think so. I'll ask Sam on Monday."

"Great and I was thinking about asking my niece to be the ring bearer."

Zoya's brother David had a little girl already, Maya, who was four years old.

"Sure, that's nice. What exactly do they do?"

"Well the flower girl will come out first and throw flowers on the aisle and the ring bearer will carry the pillow or case with our rings on it and she will present them to the officiant when we need to them."

"Ah okay. Well I think Kamran will want to do that. I'll ask Sam and we'll let you know."

Their wedding plans were coming along nicely. It was just a little over two months till their wedding. Both Callen and Zoya were looking forward to it. They had discussed with the venue how they wanted it decorated, it would just look perfect. The location was just amazing. Both Callen and Zoya were sure that it would be a great day.

"Hey G, can I asked you something?" Zoya spoke as they sat on the couch by the pool that evening.

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"Well, I know we haven't really talked about it before and also not since we discovered I had been pregnant but lost it. But is kids something that you would want in the future?"

Callen was caught a bit off guard with this question. Yeah Zoya had been pregnant when she was taken but they never really talked about that. "Uhm, I guess. It's not something I've really thought about. I never really saw myself as a father figure. When I found out you had been pregnant I started wondering about it but we never really talked about it, I figured you weren't ready to talk about it."

"Yeah I know. I just wanted to know where you stand on this, if this is something that you would want."

"I never saw myself as a father figure and I have no idea if I'd be any good at it. I've never really met anyway that caused me to start thinking about it, until you. It has crossed my mind sometimes. I think in the future it would be nice to have a kid together with you. What do you think about it?"

"I always wanted to have kids but like you I never met anyone I would want to have kids with until you. After I had find out I was pregnant I did start to think about what it would be like with a baby here. It's something that I want. And considering my biological clock is ticking I wanted to know where you stand on this. I'm still on birth control so I would have to stop that first. The doctor said it would be best to wait a few months after I've stopped to start trying to get pregnant. So I figured if I'd stop now we could start trying after our wedding, if that is what you want too."

"I have no idea what it's gonna be like with a baby but yeah it's something that I want, it's something that I want with you."

"Really?" Zoya asked with a smile.

"Yeah really. I do want to experience that with you."

Zoya climbed onto Callen's lap and kissed him as Callen wrapped his arms around her.

"How about we go practice a little bit then?" Callen asked with a smirk.

"We could always practice yeah."

"Maybe we should go upstairs then."

Zoya gave Callen one more kiss before she got up. They took their stuff inside and Zoya locked up. Before walking up the stairs Callen pulled Zoya to him and kissed her deeply. He lifted Zoya up and Zoya automatically wrapped her legs around Callen's waist. All kissing Callen walked them up the stairs and into their bedroom. Gently he lay Zoya down on the bed and lay down on top of her. Clothes were discarded and thrown across the room before they made love.

…

"Good morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen that Monday. Only Sam was there.

"Good morning G. How was your weekend?"

"It was good. Zoya and I had a meeting with the officiant and we went to buy a cake and rings."

"That's nice. I'm happy for you and Zoya."

"Thanks Sam. Oh yeah, there's something I want to ask you. Zoya and I were talking wedding plans this weekend and we were looking for a flower girl. Do you think Kam would like to be a flower girl?"

"I think she'd be very happy to be Uncle Callen's flower girl. Thanks for asking her G."

"No problem."

Sam pulled out his phone and sent a text to Michelle.

A little after Kensi and Deeks had arrived Eric called them upstairs.

"What do we have Eric?" Callen asked as they walked in.

"This morning this happened downtown," Eric spoke as he put a video on screen.

The agents watched the footage and they saw the downtown city center. A little later a bomb exploded right in the middle of the square.

"Any casualties?" Sam asked.

"So far there are reports of ten deaths and dozens injured."

"LAPD sent this case over to us cus the bomb squad found C4 explosives at the scene," Nell continued. "We checked with Pendleton and there was a shipment of C4 explosives stolen this morning. According to what the bomb squad has gathered so far this is only a small portion of all the explosives that were stolen."

"Meaning, there could be more attacks," Callen said. "Where was the shipment stolen?"

"The truck left Pendleton early this morning. It was supposed to arrive about an hour ago here in LA but it never did so the company contacted Pendleton."

"Kensi, Deeks, see what you can find out from this company and Pendleton. Sam and I will go to the scene. Eric, Nell, see what you can find on the cameras. Maybe something will pop up on screen that could lead us to who planted the bomb, also look if someone has claimed the attack."

With everyone knowing what to do everyone went to work. Sam drove him and Callen to the scene and they had a look around. The place was a disaster area. The explosives used here was only a small portion of the entire shipment. If there were more bombings they probably would be worse. They really needed to find the person responsible before this happened. Sam found a cell phone but it was a bit crispy. Maybe Eric could still get something off of it. Sam worked with the bomb squad to try and reassemble the bomb as much as possible. Callen looked through the rest of the rubbish to see if maybe there was something left behind that they could use.

"Hey Sam, take a look at this," Callen called.

"What have you got G?" Sam asked as he reached Callen.

Callen showed Sam what he had found. It was a piece of paper with some writing on it. It was a bit burned so they could only see part of it but it seems like some sort of address. The piece of paper was caught in between some parts of the bomb.

"Maybe a next target," Sam spoke.

Callen put in a evidence bag and he would take it back to the office. Maybe Eric or Nell could still get the entire address.

A little later Callen and Sam went back to the office. Callen gave the cell phone and the piece of paper to Eric and Nell. They went down to the gadget room to see what they could make of it.

Kensi and Deeks had run into a dead end. Both the company and Pendleton didn't know who had taken the shipment. They were investigating it but they hadn't come up with anything yet and the two drivers of the truck were still missing, probably taken by whoever hijacked the truck.

For now the team would just have to wait until the wonder twins would come up with something new. Since they had to wait the agents went out to get some lunch.

"Ah Michelle texted back," Sam spoke as they got out of the car and the diner. "She had asked Kam and she was really excited about becoming a flower girl."

"That's great."

After the team had gotten lunch they went back to the office. Just as they walked in Nell and Eric came walking into the bullpen.

"The cell phone was pretty burned but we still managed to get the last number dialed off of it," Eric spoke. "Unfortunately it's a burner so no luck there. We got the location the call came from but it's a camera dead zone so no luck with getting our guy on tape."

"The piece of paper was burned," Nell continued. "But we were able to get the address off of it." Nell put the picture up on the screen and the team saw the address. "It's in Inglewood. It's a warehouse."

"Why would they target a warehouse? What's in it?" Deeks wondered.

"We looked at it and according to the records this warehouse has been vacant for a while."

"A perfect play to hide out," Kensi stated.

"Or it could be a trap," Sam added.

"We still have to check it out," Callen said.

The team got ready to leave. "Be careful Mr. Callen," Hetty called.

"We will Hetty."

They grabbed their gear and left. With their vests on and riffles drawn they walked up to the warehouse. Callen and Sam took the north entrance and Kensi and Deeks took the west entrance.

"Breach on my count. Three, two, one," Callen spoke.

They all breached and looked around. The place was deserted. It was vacant like the records set. There was no evidence that anyone had been hanging out here. Suddenly the building started exploded around them.

* * *

 **A/N: I had designed the wedding card a bit in word but it isn't the same here on fanfiction.**

 **I can't add links in fanfiction. so check my twitter ilse_futbolista for the wedding invitations. Pictures posted on 6 July** **  
**


	17. Chapter 17

As quickly as they could they ran outside. Just as they got outside the building collapsed. The team breathed out relieved.

"Everyone okay?" Callen asked.

"Yeah we're good," came the replies from the others.

"Guess it was a trap," Deeks remarked.

Once the fire department had cleared the building the team went back inside, wondering if there was something to be found. Sam and Callen were busying trying to rebuild the bomb to see if they could find a signature. For this bomb also some C4 explosives had been used. The bomb was the same as the bomb earlier this morning but there was no piece of paper.

With nothing really new the agents went back to the office, hoping the wonder twins would have better luck.

"Are you all alright?" Hetty asked as the team walked back in.

"We're fine Hetty," Callen answered.

"Good, anything useful at the scene?"

"No not really."

About an hour and a half later Nell and Eric came down the stairs.

"We may have something," Nell announced. "We checked the footage from this morning and this man stands out."

Nell put some footage on the screen. They saw a city worker walking around. He looked at a bit out of place. He was cleaning at a bench. He looked around and grabbed something from his cart. He looked around once more and placed it underneath the bench.

"According to the data we have, this appears the spot where the blast came from," Eric explained. "We don't see his face on the camera but we were able to follow him and saw him get into a car. We caught the license plate but the car's a rental. It is however fitted with GPS. We tracked the car and after it was downtown it went to the warehouse you guys were just at. After staying there for about fifteen minutes he got in his car again. We lost it but had kaleidoscope search for it."

"We just found the car at a house in Culver City," Nell continued. "Is it listed under the name Devon Barns." Nell put the ID on the screen. "Now we can't see his face but it seems like it's the same man."

"Another on Barns?" Callen asked.

"Nothing, not even a parking ticket."

"Alright, keep digging. See if you can find some sort of connection. He's not just planting bombs for no good reason."

"Got it," Nell responded and she and Eric went back upstairs.

"Let's gear up guys."

They all grabbed their gear and riffles and went to the address. Carefully they approached the house, Callen and Sam going to the front and Kensi and Deeks going around back. The car was still parked in the driveway.

"Anything around back?" Callen asked through the coms.

"No, it all looks clear," Kensi replied.

"Let's see if he's home."

Sam knocked on the door. They heard some noise inside but the door stayed closed.

"We've got some movement back here," Kensi spoke through the com.

"Kick the door Sam."

Sam kicked the door and the two agents stepped into the house. As the two agents stepped into the house Devon stepped out the back door.

"Devon Barns, federal agents! Stay were you are!" Kensi yelled as she and Deeks came out of their hideout with their weapons drawn.

Devon made a move for his weapon and shot at Kensi and Deeks before going back inside.

"Devon Barns, federal agents! Drop you weapon!" Callen yelled as he and Sam came up behind him.

Shocked Barns turned around.

"Give it up Barns, you're surrounded," Sam spoke.

Barns raised his weapon again and shot at Callen and Sam. Callen and Sam shot back at him but not after Barns had gotten a shot off. Carefully Kensi and Deeks made their way inside when they heard the shots. They saw Barns lying on the floor.

"You okay?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah, we're good," Callen replied but he felt a sting in his arm.

"You've been shot," Sam remarked as he looked at his partner.

"It's just a graze, I'll be fine."

A little later the paramedics were there. Barns had gunshot wounds in his arm and legs. Before taking Barns to the hospital they patched Callen up. Callen and Sam stayed behind at the house as Kensi and Deeks went to the hospital to question Barns once he was stable.

Callen and Sam put some cloves on after putting their gear in the car and looked through the house. There was no sign of the rest of the explosives but this guy definitely had to be involved somehow.

"Got a laptop here, encrypted, that's a job for Eric," Callen stated.

Sam walked to another room. "G, over here."

Callen went to the room where Sam was in. In the room was a map with x's on them.

"More targets?" Callen questioned.

"It looks like it."

Callen took a picture of it and sent it to Eric. They took some more pictures of the stuff in the room. Maybe they could find out who these men were and why they were targeting those spots. With all the evidence in hand they went back to the office.

"Did you get the pictures?" Callen asked as he walked into OPS.

"Yeah, we did," Nell responded. "Looking through them now."

"Okay good. Got something for you Eric." Callen pulled out the laptop. "See what you can get off of it."

"You got it," came the reply from the tech operator.

Callen returned to the bullpen. About thirty minutes later Kensi and Deeks walked back in.

"Anything from Barns?" Callen asked.

"He won't give up who else is in his group but we did found out why they are targeting the city," Kensi answered. "They are all upset with the city. They tried to sue after they lost their jobs but it didn't get anywhere. They all used to work for the city."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain how they got their hands on C4. They had to have known about the shipment somehow," Callen replied.

"Yeah and it's not like those shipments are posted on twitter or something," Deeks remarked. "Maybe they had inside help."

Callen picked up his phone and called upstairs to OPS.

"Yeah Callen," Nell answered.

"Nell, check the personnel at Pendleton who had access to the shipment of C4, look for any anomalies in their life."

"You're thinking it might have been an inside job?"

"Yeah perhaps."

"Alright, I'll look into it."

"Thanks Nell."

Callen hung up the phone.

"Did you find anything at the house?" Kensi asked.

"We found a map with x's on them, possible targets. Eric has alerted LAPD and they are keeping an eye on these places and are sweeping them for bombs," Callen answered.

For now there wasn't much more to then wait for the wonder twins to come up with something new. About an hour later both Nell and Eric came storming into the bullpen, Eric was down in the gadget room working on the laptop.

"I may have found something," they both spoke at the same time and they looked at each other.

"Eric, what do you have?" Callen spoke.

"I managed to get into Barns computer and I found a couple of emails between him and what I think are the others in the group." Eric put the emails on the screen. "They are some emails back and forth about the attack and which places they would hit. Now one of the first emails caught my eye." Eric enlarged one of the emails.

"I know how to get some C4. A transport from camp Pendleton is coming through the city and I know where to intercept it," Callen read from the scream.

"Any idea who sent this?" Sam asked.

"The name doesn't specify but I was able to track it, it was sent from an internet café. Now luckily the internet café has cameras." Eric put some footage on the screen. "As you can see he has his back towards the camera but as we fast forward and change cameras when he exits the café we catch his face." Eric put another footage on screen. "I ran facial reg and I got a hit. His name is Cooper Fields."

"He is an petty officer in the navy working at camp Pendleton," Nell continued. "As Callen asked I looked into the personnel at camp Pendleton and came up with this guy. He has had some troubles at work. He was complaining he didn't get paid enough. This guy Barns is his brother in law, that's how they got in contact. And guess what, Fields hasn't shown up for work today."

"You have an address for us?" Callen asked.

"Already on your phones."

"Good work both of you. Let's go guys."

They grabbed their gear and drove to the address. It was a house in Westchester. Callen and Sam went out front while Kensi and Deeks went around back. Sam knocked on the door and they waited for it to open. A woman opened the door.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Mrs. Fields?" Callen asked.

"Yes. NCIS? Are you here for my husband?"

"Yes we are. Is he home now?"

"No he's not. I haven't seen him since he left for work this morning."

"He's not at work. He hasn't checked in. We have reason to believe that he was involved in the bombing that happened downtown this morning," Sam spoke.

"Cooper? No, he would never do that. He's a good man."

"We have proof he has been in contact with other people and that he stole a shipment of C4 coming from Pendleton," Callen said.

"No! He wouldn't do that! You don't know my husband."

"I'm sorry ma'am," Sam told her. "We have proof of this. Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"He has this bar he likes to hang out. It's this sports bar here in Westchester. But he didn't do this. I know my husband."

"We're sorry ma'am but it looks like he did. If you hear from him please let us know," Sam spoke and handed her his card.

Kensi and Deeks came from around back.

"See anything back there?" Callen asked.

"No nothing," Kensi replied.

"Alright. Stake out the place, maybe he is home or he'll come home. We'll go check out this bar."

"You got it," Deeks said.

Kensi and Deeks got back in their car and drove away just to let it seems that they were going away. They drove around and parked the car in a covered spot but with a view of the house. Callen and Sam got in Sam's car. Callen called Eric.

"Yeah Callen," Eric answered the phone.

"Eric, sports bar in Westchester. Where is it?"

Eric typed some keys on his keyboard. "There's a sports bar on five-six-three-zero West Manchester Avenue."

"Alright thanks Eric," Callen hung up the phone.

Sam drove to the bar. Callen and Sam walked into the bar and looked around. They knew what the guy looked like but they didn't see him at first sight.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, we're looking for this man," Callen spoke as he showed the bartender a picture on his phone. "Have you seen him?"

"Yeah he's on the other end of the bar."

Callen and Sam walked around. The moment Fields saw them he jumped up and tried to run.

"Cooper Fields! Freeze!" Callen yelled.

Callen ran after him as Sam went through the front door to go around back and cut him off. Callen ran after him into the back alley. Sam came around the corner in his car. Fields stopped and tried to turn around. Callen was there with his SIG drawn.

"It's over Fields! Get down on the ground!" Callen yelled.

Sam came out of the car and raised his gun as well. Realizing he was trapped Fields got down on the ground with his hands behind his head. Callen kept his weapon on him as Sam went to cuff him. They took him to the boatshed and put him in the other interrogation room. Barns was still in the other.

"Why did you do it huh?" Sam asked annoyed.

"I'm not saying anything without a lawyer present."

"You're not getting a lawyer. With what you did no one is gonna want to represent you. You work in the navy, why did you do this?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Callen slammed a folder down on the table. "We have proof of what you did. We have proof you supplied them with the C4 explosives. We have proof you had contact with the others about bombing the city."

"Lawyer."

"You committed a terrorist attack on US soil, you're not getting a lawyer. We already have one of your buddies in custody. He gave you up. If you tell us more than him, guess who's gonna get the better deal. With what you did you're probably going to Gitmo. We have proof already so you better come clean. It's the only way for you now. Who are the others in your group? Who's idea was this?"

Fields realized this was his only way so he told Callen and Sam everything he knew. They had gotten an address where the group hides out and where the rest of the C4 was. Callen gave the address to Kensi and Deeks and they would meet them there. They put their vests on and grabbed their rifles before moving towards the building. The bomb squad was standing by. Kensi and Deeks went around back as Callen and Sam went to the front.

"Move in on my count, three, two, one," Callen spoke and they breached.

"Federal agents! Hands were we can see them!" Sam yelled.

They had to duck away from bullets flying in their direction. The agents shot back whenever they could. After a few minutes the bad guys were all down, down but not dead. Kensi and Deeks cleared them of their weapons and cuffed them as Callen and Sam kept their guns at them.

"All clear," Kensi spoke after a while.

Callen went outside to get the bomb squad. With their suits on they came inside and cleared everything. There were a few more bombs on the tables. The agents waited outside as the bomb squad disarmed the bombs. Once the bombs were disarmed and safely put in containers Callen and Sam went back inside as Kensi and Deeks stayed with the men. The paramedics were busy patching them up. Kensi and Deeks took pictures of them and sent them to Eric and Nell to verify their identities. Once their identities had been checked some agents came to take them away and they picked up the two guys in the boatshed too. There was an ex-marine in the group who knew how to make bombs. He had been dishonorably discharged from the marines for drug possession. With the case wrapped up the agents went back to the office. After filling out their paperwork they went home.

When Callen pulled into the driveway he saw Zoya's car already there.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called as he walked into the house.

"Hey Grisha, I'm in the kitchen."

Callen walked into the kitchen. "Hey babe."

"Hey honey." Callen gave Zoya a kiss.

"Hmm dinner smells delicious."

"It's almost done. Can you set the table?"

"Of course."

Callen stole a quick kiss from Zoya before he went to set the table outside. After dinner they went to look over some wedding plans. They made a seating plan for the dinner and filled in the list with toasts which were being given. Sam and Zoya's sister would both do a toast during the party. They also made a day timeline so they could send this to the venue. After they had done this they went to work on their vows. Callen sat at the kitchen island and Zoya sat at the table outside. Callen wasn't sure what to write. He never had been really good with expressing his feelings. Why did he need to write them down? Couldn't he just speak from the heart at the wedding?

"Hey Zoya," Callen called outside.

"Yeah G?"

"Do I have to write them down? Can't I just say whatever comes to mind at the wedding?"

"Yeah sure, but in case you forget something then, it's better to write them down so you can memorize them."

"Ah okay, I'm just having a little trouble writing them down."

"Just write what you feel in your heart. How you feel about me, what you wanna say to me."

After a while Callen managed to get something on paper. Once he got started the rest flowed out. Zoya managed to write down her vows as well. Once they were down Zoya updated the list. For now they have everything. This weekend Zoya would go to register for gifts, buy bridesmaids' gifts and gifts for the guest.

X Guest list

X Venue

X Officiant

X Photographer/videographer(appointments made)

X Band(appointments made)

X Florist

X Caterers

X Dress

X Suit

X Bridesmaids

X Maid of honor

X Best man

X Bridesmaid dresses

Register for gifts

X Invitations(ordered)

X Honeymoon

X Transportation

X Day timeline

Cake(ordered)

Rings(ordered)

X Toasts

X Readings

X Vows

X Marriage license

X Seating

Bridesmaids' gifts

Small gifts for the guests

X Flower girl

X Ring bearer

They enjoyed a nice quiet rest of the evening on the couch watching some TV. Once the movie had ended Callen went to lock up as Zoya cleaned up their glasses. Zoya wanted to walk upstairs but Callen stopped her. Before Zoya could respond Callen pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He picked her up bridal style and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He lay her down on the bed and they proceeded in taken each other's clothes off.

"What happened to your arm?" Zoya asked as she noticed the bandage around Callen's upper arm.

"Oh, occupational hazard. Got shot."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just a graze, no biggy."

Callen kissed her deeply, reigniting the passion between them and he moved inside of her.

"Ooooh Grisha," Zoya moaned loudly as she reached her peak.

Callen followed her and kissed her before rolling off of her.

"I love it when you say my name like that," Callen spoke with a smirk.

Zoya smiled back at him and kissed him. "Thank you, that was really good."

"You weren't so bad yourself. I love making love to you."

"I love making love to you too and they say it only gets better once you're married."

"Oh really? Then let's get married tomorrow," Callen spoke with a smile.

"Oh you," Zoya replied and gave him a light shove.

Callen pulled Zoya to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," Callen told her in a passionate voice.

"I love you too," Zoya replied with a passionate voice.

"I'm really happy with you and I'm very looking forward to getting married to you. I can't wait for our wedding day."

"Me neither. It's gonna be just perfect. And the most perfect is that I'm getting married to you."

"We're gonna have a beautiful life the two of us."

"Yes we will."

Zoya gave Callen another kiss before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

A few hours they were woken up when they heard a noise coming from downstairs.


	18. Chapter 18

"Did you hear that?" Zoya asked Callen.

"Yeah I did."

They both goth out of bed and grabbed their guns out of their nightstand. They had already dressed themselves into their pajamas before going to sleep. Callen was the first one to the bedroom door. Carefully he opened the door and scanned the hallway. When he didn't see anything he walked out of the bedroom with Zoya behind him. Quietly they walked down the stairs. Callen peeked his head around the first half of the stairs. He could see into the downstairs floor a bit. When he didn't see anything he walked further with Zoya behind him. Callen stopped at the bottom step of the stairs and looked around the corner. He still didn't see anything. Callen walked into the direction of the back door as Zoya walked into the direction of the front door. Since they didn't see anything at first sight they used their flashlights now too. Callen scanned the living room and the kitchen but couldn't see anything. Since Callen didn't see anything he looked through the window out onto the porch and backyard. Callen couldn't see anything. He hit the light switch inside. He looked out onto the porch but couldn't see anything. He grabbed the keys and opened the back door. On the porch he didn't see anything. The lights in the rest of the backyard were on too. He overlooked the backyard from the porch. Nothing was too be seen in the yard. Callen walked downstairs and scanned the entire yard but couldn't find anything and nothing looked to be disturbed. He walked back into the house and Zoya was just coming back into the living room.

"Anything on your side?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, I saw a hedgehog. It had knocked over some of our pots. I chased it away and put the pots back. There was nothing more, I checked it. Anything with you?"

"No, it was all clear at the back."

"Okay good."

They shut off the lights and went back upstairs.

…..

That weekend Zoya went to the store to register and buy bridesmaids' gifts and gifts' for the guests. Callen had gone to Sam and they were going to a basketball game. Zoya went to the store and grabbed one of those scanners and scanned the things she would want to get for their wedding, an envelope with money was also an option. After she had registered she went to buy bridesmaids' gifts and gifts' for the guests. Once she had done that she went to buy groceries before going home. After putting the groceries away she grabbed the list and crossed of the things.

X Guest list

X Venue

X Officiant

X Photographer/videographer(appointments made)

X Band(appointments made)

X Florist

X Caterers

X Dress

X Suit

X Bridesmaids

X Maid of honor

X Best man

X Bridesmaid dresses

X Register for gifts

X Invitations(ordered)

X Honeymoon

X Transportation

X Day timeline

Cake(ordered)

Rings(ordered)

X Toasts

X Readings

X Vows

X Marriage license

X Seating

X Bridesmaids' gifts

X Small gifts for the guests(just need thank you notes)

X Flower girl

X Ring bearer

After crossing off the things she went to make thank you notes. She designed them herself online. The background was light turquoise and the back of the card was dark blue. The text was centered. On top stood an anchor with two hearts on it with G and Z in it. Underneath that stood:

Thank you

With love

Grisha & Zoya

Callen

07.23.2016

These were for their guests. Zoya also made thank you notes for the venue, DJ, photographer and florist. For that she picked out a folded card. On the front was an edge of blue and white stripes and the inside was turquoise with a white anchor in it and in white the text: thank you. On the inside Zoya wrote the text:

Thank you for making

Our special day even more special

It was just perfect.

Thank you for everything.

Love

G & Z

07.23.2016

Zoya made some menu cards as well. She picked out a turquoise card with two sea stars on top and underneath that the menu.

 _Grisha & Zoya_

 _Bon appétit_

 _Wedding dinner_

 _First course_

 _Vegetable soup_

 _Fresh melon with serrano ham_

 _Entrée_

 _Pork tenderloin_

 _Rib-eye steak_

 _Seasoned codfish_

 _All dishes are served with baked potatoes and a mix of vegetables._

 _Dessert_

 _Vanilla ice cream with cherries_

 _Homemade apple pie with whipped cream_

The program for the ceremony was in the same design as the menu card.

Everything was ready for their wedding now. They just needed to sample the cake and pick up their rings. They also had to go over the final decorations with the venue and the florist. Callen left that to Zoya. She was way better at these things. He was good with everything. Zoya had talk the decorations with Callen and he liked them.

Zoya made another list with the text they needed to do in the last two months before the wedding:

Two months before the wedding:

Go over the final things with the venue

Go over the playlist with the DJ, pick out a wedding song

Complete the thank you gifts

Month before the wedding:

Send out as many payments as possible

Send directions for the transport vehicle

Go over the time schedule with the venue and caterers

Week of the wedding:

Check in with vendors again to make sure everything is alright

Make a finale appointment with the photographer

Payment for the vendors, with tips

Send final guest list to the venue

Zoya, her sister and Hailey went to the venue that Saturday to go over the final decorations and things with the venue. Someone from the florist shop was there too. They walked the venue and looked where everything needed to go and how Zoya and Callen wanted it decorated. It would just be perfect. Zoya liked the things they had picked out for decorations.

That evening Callen and Zoya went to the DJ to go over the playlist with him.

"Did you pick out of song you want to have your first dance to?" The DJ asked.

"Yeah we picked thank you for loving me by Bon Jovi."

"Alright, at what time to you want to play that?"

"After dinner. 8pm I think. And after that the father-daughter dance on my little girl of Tim McGraw."

"Alright. Here is a list I made of songs I can play. Just look through it if you see any songs that I can't play."

Callen and Zoya looked through the list but it was all in order.

"Can people come ask for songs too?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah of course."

"Alright. Anything more you need from us?"

"No that was all, thank you."

Callen and Zoya left and went home. Once home Zoya grabbed the list and crossed off the things.

Two months before the wedding:

X Go over the final things with the venue

X Go over the playlist with the DJ, pick out a wedding song

Complete the thank you gifts

Month before the wedding:

Send out as many payments as possible

Send directions for the transport vehicle

Go over the time schedule with the venue and caterers

Week of the wedding:

Check in with vendors again to make sure everything is alright

Make a finale appointment with the photographer

Payment for the vendors, with tips

Send final guest list to the venue

The next weekend the thank you notes were delivered. Zoya and Callen went to complete the wedding favors for the guests and attached the thank you notes. They had a net with candy sea glass. With a ribbon they attached the thank you notes and put them in a basket.

Two months before the wedding:

X Go over the final things with the venue

X Go over the playlist with the DJ, pick out a wedding song

X Complete the thank you gifts

Month before the wedding:

Send out as many payments as possible

Send directions for the transport vehicle

Go over the time schedule with the venue and caterers

Week of the wedding:

Check in with vendors again to make sure everything is alright

Make a finale appointment with the photographer

Payment for the vendors, with tips

Send final guest list to the venue

…

It was a month before their wedding. They had picked up the rings already and they were just perfect. In about two weeks they could got for a tasting of their wedding cake. Both Zoya and Callen were really looking forward to their wedding. All of their guests had already RSVP'ed so they had send the final number of guests over to the venue so they could make sure there was enough for everyone to eat and drink.

It was Saturday now, Zoya was going for her final dress fitting today. Kamran and Maya would go with her so they could pick out dresses for them. In the afternoon Zoya went to pick up Maya and Michelle would meet them at the bridal store with Kamran.

"Hey Michelle," Zoya greeted her as she walked up to the bridal store.

"Hey Zoya."

"Hey Kam."

"Hi Aunt Zoya."

"This is my niece Maya."

"Hi Maya, niece to meet you," Michelle spoke.

"Hi Maya, I'm Kamran."

"Hi," Maya spoke a bit shy.

"Come on let's go inside," Zoya said.

First Zoya went to fit her dress. They remodeled it a bit so it was absolutely perfect. Next they went to picked out a dress for Kamran and Maya. Zoya found two perfect dresses for them. They looked beautiful in it. They also bought some shoes for them before going back home. Zoya took her dress, the bridesmaids' dresses and the dresses for Kamran and Maya with her. Zoya dropped Maya off at home and went to her sister. Zoya's sister would hang onto the dresses until the big day so Callen couldn't see them. They were just absolutely perfect. After dropping the dresses off she went back home.

"Hey G," Zoya called into the house.

"Hey Zoya."

Zoya walked into the living room and outside since Callen was on the patio.

"Hey babe," Zoya spoke as she walked outside.

"Hey babe, how was your dress?"

"It was just perfect. They remodeled it a bit, it's just perfect. Also bought dresses for Maya and Kamran, they looked so beautiful."

"That's great. While you were gone if send out as many payments as I could and put some money aside for the venue."

"That's good."

"And I've emailed the directions to the driver and send the timeline to the venue and caterer and to the photographer too."

"Alright that's good. So everything is done for now. Just the things in the last week now."

Two months before the wedding:

X Go over the final things with the venue

X Go over the playlist with the DJ, pick out a wedding song

X Complete the thank you gifts

Month before the wedding:

X Send out as many payments as possible

X Send directions for the transport vehicle

X Go over the time schedule with the venue and caterers

Week of the wedding:

Check in with vendors again to make sure everything is alright

Make a finale appointment with the photographer

Payment for the vendors, with tips

Send final guest list to the venue

"I can't believe it's just one more month till our wedding," Callen stated.

"Yeah I know, me neither. It's just gonna to perfect."

Callen pulled Zoya onto his lap. "Yes it will be, cus I'm getting married to you. I can't wait to see you walk down the aisle in your wedding dress. I'm sure it's absolutely stunning."

"Oh yes it is and I can't wait to see you standing at the end of the aisle in your wedding suit. You're gonna be so handsome."

"I can't wait to be your husband."

"And I can't wait to be your wife. Our wedding is just gonna be so perfect."

"Yes it is."

…

It was just one more week till their wedding. It was Monday now, they still had to work this week and then Saturday they would have their wedding and then three weeks of vacation. They would go on their honeymoon for two weeks and then one more week at home. They really had the perfect spot for their wedding and the honeymoon. All the plans they had made were just amazing. They both couldn't wait till their wedding day.

"So everything ready for the big day?" Sam asked as he and Callen were driving to a suspect.

"Yes everything is ready. Just some last minute things that we need to do this week but everything is arranged."

"That's good. You're coming over to my place Friday right?"

"Yeah I am, Michelle and Kam are coming to my place right?"

"Yes they are. Kam is really excited to be a flower girl. Every day she asked when Uncle Callen's wedding is. Thank you for asking her G."

"Of course Sam."

..

Wednesday evening they had an appointment with the photographer. They went over the things they wanted photographed and which spots on the ground would be perfect for their wedding photoshoot. The photographer would be at the venue just past 1pm and would take pics of the venue and pics as Zoya and Callen were getting ready. Afterwards they went to the venue to make sure everything was already. They made a few minor details before going home. Everything was now ready for their wedding.

Luckily both Zoya and Callen didn't have to go undercover to they were both ready Friday afternoon. Callen went home to grab his stuff before going over to Sam's place. When he pulled up Zoya was already at home.

"Hey Zoya," Callen spoke as he walked into the house.

"Hey G."

Callen walked over to Zoya and gave her a kiss. "I'm just gonna go pack and then I'm off to Sam's."

"That's fine."

Callen wrapped his arms around Zoya's waist and pulled her to him. "I can't believe we're getting married tomorrow."

"I know, me neither. I'm very looking forward to tomorrow."

"Me too. I can't wait for tomorrow, but I am gonna miss you tonight."

"Me too, but it's just for one night and then tomorrow we'll be husband and wife."

"Yes we will be."

Callen pulled Zoya even closer and kissed her. He lifted her up and planted her on the kitchen island. He released her lips and moved his lips down to her neck.

"G," Zoya moaned. "We have all the time for this tomorrow and you should be heading to Sam's."

"When are the girls coming here?"

"They should be here around six."

Callen looked at his watch. It was 5.15pm. "We have some time for a quickie and then tomorrow we have all the time we want."

Zoya pulled Callen's face to hers and kissed him passionately and hungrily. She opened the buttons of his blouse as Callen opened the buttons on Zoya's blouse. Soon their clothes lay on the kitchen floor and their underwear followed. Callen pulled her to the edge of the counter and slid inside of her. After a while Callen pulled out and turned Zoya around so she was standing on the floor leaning against the counter. Zoya was pretty lean so Callen lifted one leg up and planted it on the counter. He picked up her other leg and wrapped it around his waist.

"Ooooooh G," Zoya moaned. "This feels so good."

It didn't take them look to finish. Callen released her legs and collapsed against her so they were both lying on the kitchen counter.

"Wow, that felt good. I can't wait for tomorrow night."

"Oh no, me neither. It's gonna be perfect."

"Yes it will."

Callen pulled out of her and got up so Zoya could stand up as well. Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before he grabbed his clothes and went upstairs. Zoya grabbed her clothes as well and went upstairs too. Zoya changed into her bikini. The girls were having a pool party tonight. Callen went to grab a quick shower before packing up his stuff.

"Alright honey, I'm off," Callen spoke when he came downstairs. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah see you."

Callen pulled Zoya to him and gave her a deep kiss. "I love you honey."

"I love you too honey."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before he left. Zoya texted her sister saying she could come over with the dresses. Zoya went outside and took a quick dip in the pool before the others arrived. Just past 6pm the first arrived. It was Hailey. Shortly after that Eva, David's wife, Maya, Kensi, Nell, Keira, Michelle and Kamran arrived. After eating pizza they all went outside to the pool and took the occasional dip and just sat around talking.

The guys had pizza too and played a game of poker. Deeks, Eric, David, Ivan, Liam and the two male agents of Zoya's team came to Sam's place.

"So you're excited about tomorrow?" Sam asked his partner.

"Yeah I am. Very, I can't wait to get married to Zoya."

"You two seem really happy together."

"Yeah I really love her."

"I'm happy for you G."

"Thanks Sam."

It was just after 11pm the adults when upstairs. Zoya slept in her own bed and the others slept in the guest rooms.

Just as Zoya got into bed her phone chirped. 'Goodnight honey,' Zoya read from the screen.

'Goodnight baby, I love you and I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Yes you will, I'll be standing at the end of the aisle. I love you too and I'm missing you. Goodnight honey.'

'I miss you too, it's just for one night. Goodnight honey.'

The next morning Callen was up early. He couldn't believe it. Today was his wedding day, he was getting married to Zoya today. He never thought he would have this but he was very happy with Zoya and he couldn't wait to be married to her. He really wondered what her dress looked like. He was up early so he got out to go for a run. Only Callen had spent the night with Sam, the others had gone home.

Zoya woke up around 10am. After having her breakfast she got in a nice bubble bath.

Just past 1pm they left to go to the venue. The girls were in the dressing room getting dressed. Once they had their dresses on the photographer came into the dressing room to take some picture of them as they were doing the finishing touches. Zoya was really happy. Everything was looking very well and the dresses were just perfect.

"Do you know where you fiancé is? I checked in his dressing room but he's not there yet," the photographer asked.

* * *

 **A/N: You can find the pics of the cards on my twitter account ilse_futbolista. The pics of the things at the wedding i will post with the text chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

"What? Are you sure?" Zoya couldn't believe it.

"Yes, I checked and no one has seen him."

"Maybe he's just having car troubling or something," Zoya's sister spoke.

A bit angrily Zoya grabbed her cell phone and called Callen.

"Hey honey," Callen answered it after a few rings.

"Don't honey me. The photographer said you aren't here yet. Where are you?"

"We're just pulling up. Sorry, we got stuck behind an accident. I thought I would still be on time, which I am. It's not 2pm yet. I'm here now, I'll be changed in a sec and you'll see me standing at the end of the aisle."

"Okay good."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Zoya hung up the phone. "He's here now, they got stuck behind an accident."

"Okay good."

The photographer left to take pictures of the ground and later of Callen when he was ready. They were getting married at the Bel-Air bay club. It was really beautiful. They had a beautiful view of the ocean from the spot the ceremony was being held. The ceremony was being held on the grass behind the building. On either side of the aisle, which had a white carpet in the middle, stood white fold out chairs. All the chairs had a piece of white and blue striped fabric over the back and the chairs next to the aisle had a blue and white sash around the headrest with some straw and a starfish attached to it. At the end of the aisle stood a gazebo with blue and white curtains on it and on the corners a bouquet of white and blue roses. Underneath the gazebo stood a small table with a white sheet over it, two blue candles and a vase with a bouquet of white and blue roses. Behind the gazebo was the view of the ocean.

Slowly the guests started arriving.

"You ready G?" Sam asked, as they were about finished getting dressed.

"Yeah I am. You handed off the ring right?"

"Yes, don't worry. I handed it off. It's on the pillow."

"Okay good."

"Relax G. It's gonna be fine."

"I just can't believe I'm getting married."

"It's okay to be nervous, I was too when I married Michelle."

"You were?"

"Yes, it's okay to be nervous G. But think about it, in a while you and Zoya will be married. That's what you want right."

"Yes of course." Callen took one more look into the mirror and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."

As Callen walked up to the ceremony spot he noticed a familiar face.

"Hey Gibbs," he called.

"Hey Callen."

"Glad you could make it," Callen spoke as he shook Gibbs' hand.

"I wasn't gonna miss this."

"Thanks for coming."

Gibbs went to find a chair as Callen and Sam walked up front. The minister was already there. Callen took his spot with Sam next to him. Sam was wearing a dark blue suit with white shirt and blue tie. He wore a corsage with a white rose and some flower leaves and a tied white rope. The guests wore a corsage with a shell, some white silk and pearls and a starfish. The guests consisted off the OSP team, Zoya's team, the Washington team and Zoya's family.

At exactly 2pm the music started playing, Pachelbel's Canon in D started playing. First came Kamran, she was the flower girl. Kamran was wearing a dress with a white top and blue band around her neck. The bottom of the dress was white and blue striped and there was a ribbon at the waist. Kamran wore sparkling silver slippers with some blue sparkles in it and carried a basket with white silk, a blue ribbon around the handle and on each side a blue rose. As she walked up front she threw white and blue rose petals on the carpet. Sam smiled as he saw his little girl walk up front. Once she was up front she took her seat next to Michelle. Next came Maya, she was the ring bearer. She wore a blue dress with some white stripes on the bottom and a white sash around the middle, she wore the same shoes as Kamran. She carried a white silk pillow with an open pearl on top of it. Inside the pearl were the two wedding rings. She walked up front and handed the pillow with the rings off to the minister, who placed it on the table, and she took her seat next to her parents. After Maya came Hailey, she was the bridesmaid. She wore a short white dress with blue stripes, a blue belt around the middle, a band with two blue stripes and one white stripe at the bottom and in the same colors a band across the top. She wore blue and white striped peep-toe pumps with a ribbon on top. She carried a bouquet of white roses with a blue ribbon around the stems. Last before Zoya came Eva, she was the maid of honor. She wore a knee-length dress with a blue top that tied behind her neck and the bottom was blue and white striped with a white belt around her middle. She wore the same shoes as Hailey and carried the same bouquet. Eva, Hailey, Maya and Kamran all wore a gold necklace with a starfish, light blue ruby and a charm with their initial on it and a blue and white rope bracelet with an gold anchor charm. Once they were all up front the music changed to Nick Lachey's This I swear and everyone stood up. Callen watched anxiously to see his Zoya standing at the end of the aisle. Callen smiled when she appeared. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. She was wearing a long white strapless dress. The top was a bit ruffled and around her middle was a belt with blue diamonds. In her hair Zoya wore a sort of crown with starfish and white pearls on it with a white veil attached to it. Zoya wore a pair of white pumps with a blue and white stripped ribbon on top. Zoya wore a silver necklace with a starfish, blue ruby and white pearl and a blue and white rope bracelet with an anchor as lock. She carried a bouquet with a variety of white flowers and a blue and white striped ribbon around the stems. She looked absolutely beautiful. Zoya smiled back at Callen. He looked so handsome standing there in his beige/sand colored suit with white shirt, blue tie and blue tissue out of his pocket. He wore blue dress shoes and wore a corsage with a rose, lily and a blue and white striped ribbon around the stems.

Zoya's father walked her down the aisle. He gave her a soft kiss on her cheek before handing her off to Callen.

"You take good care of her," Ethan spoke as he shook Callen's hand.

"You have my word on that sir," Callen replied.

Ethan sat down and Callen took Zoya by the hand.

"You look beautiful," Callen whispered to her.

"Thank you, you look very handsome too."

Together they stepped up to the minister.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we've gathered here today to join Grisha Callen and Zoya Foster in holy matrimony. If anyone has a reason why these two should not be married let them speak now or forever hold their peace." Of course there were no objections so the minister continued. The minister started with a poem:

"Standing beside this oceans tide,  
May your love always be constant & unchanging,  
Like these never-ending waves pouring beneath our feet,  
Flowing endlessly from the depths of the sea;  
Love came softly upon your hearts,  
Just like foam comes softly upon sand,  
And just as there will never be a morning without this ocean's flow,  
So there will never be a day without your love for one other,  
As today you pledge yourselves together forever.  
This love will be unchanging - dependable like the tides;  
Waters nourish the earth and sustain life,  
So to may your constant devotion nourish and sustain one other  
Until the end of time."

"May I ask Ethan to step forward please, to say a few words as the father of the bride?"

The minister stepped aside and Ethan took his place.

"Zoya and Grisha wanted me to say a few words.

Ladies and gentlemen, as the father of the bride, it's my privilege to make the first reading. I'm glad you all could join us on this special day, I know it means a lot to Zoya and Grisha.

I've known Zoya her entire life and I'm so very happy that she found someone to spend the rest of her life with. I couldn't have asked for a better man. Grisha is exactly the kind of man I wanted for my little girl. I see the way they look at each other. It's clear that they really love each other.

Today, we are surrounded by our friends and family who have been important to us during our lives. I'm saddened to say we're missing three important people. Grisha's parents and his sister. They sadly couldn't be here with us today but they are here with us in our hearts."

Zoya looked at Callen and grabbed his hand.

"It is my pleasure to formally welcome Grisha into this family. I know you never had much of a family live growing up but you have a family now. Zoya is your family now and so are we. You have been part of this family ever since you and Zoya started seeing each other. During the time that we have known Grisha, we have come to realize just how special he is to Zoya, anyone can see that they are made for each other.

I am really fortunate that my daughter has met her Mr. Right, of course, marriage isn't just about finding the perfect partner, but also being one.

Grisha has been really good to Zoya. I see how much my little girl has changed since she met you. When our little girl had been injured in the car accident, he was there to make sure she was okay, there to make sure she was getting better. I know how my daughter is, she's not good with sitting around and she told me you aren't either. You two are great together, you complete each other. My daughter has her own strong opinions and she can be stubborn from time to time, I see these qualities in you two. That's part of what makes you fit together so well.

I know that Zoya and Grisha will be very happy together just as Vera and I are, and that they can look forward to many happy years together.

Zoya is my oldest daughter and I love her and I'm very proud of the woman she has become and I'm happy that she has found such a wonderful man as Grisha to spend the rest of her life with.

Take good care of my little girl."

Ethan sat back down on his chair again and the minister took his spot again. "Thank you for those kind words Ethan." The minister continued with a poem about true love. "May I ask Sam to step up front and read a few words?"

Sam stepped up front, the minister stepped aside so Sam could stand in the middle.

"To Grisha and Zoya," Sam started. The poem ended with: "In the moon's own predictable harmony, because finally, despite a child's scars or an adult's deepest wounds, they are openly free to be who they really are-and always secretly were, in the very core of their being where true and lasting love can alone abide."

Sam took his spot behind Callen again.

"Thank you Sam. Zoya and Grisha have decided to read a poem to each other too. Grisha you may start."

Callen turned to Sam who handed him a piece of paper. Callen unfolded it and started reading. "I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me," Callen started. The poem ended with: "I love you because you have done more than anyone could have done, to make me good. And more than any fate could have done, to make me happy. You have done it without a touch, without a word, without a song. You have done it by being yourself. I love you."

Zoya couldn't help but get a little teary eyed. She knew exactly what Callen was talking about, how he was before they met. Callen cupped her face and removed the tear that was running down her cheek with his thumb. He folded the piece of paper up again and gave it back to Sam.

"Zoya, you may recite your poem."

Zoya turned around to Eva who handed her a piece of paper.

"My dear Grisha, you look at me with those gorgeous blue eyes and give me butterflies. Those eyes of yours so bright and blue make me wonder how I got so lucky with you," The poem started. "Your eyes tell me all I need to know and more, forever is how long I will truly love you for," Zoya finished the poem.

Callen smiled at her as Zoya read her poem and he couldn't help but get a bit teary eyed.

Music started playing again, this time Seal's kiss from a rose. Together with the minister they walked over to the big candle standing just outside the gazebo. This was a candle that all the married couples here had used and lit together. The minister had taken a small candle and had lit it from the two candles standing on the table. Together Callen and Zoya took the small candle and lit the big candle. They walked back to the middle. The minister held up a glass bowl as Callen and Zoya each grabbed a smaller vase with colored sand in it. Zoya had white sand and Callen had blue sand. Together they poured the sand into the vase as a sign of them uniting. Once all the sand was in the vase the minister held the vase up.

"You just lit the marriage candle and filled the vase with two colors sand all as a sign of your unity. From this moment on wherever you go you two will be united as one." The minister placed the vase on the table, Zoya and Callen could take this home later. "May I ask Hailey to step up front place?"

The minister stepped aside and Hailey took his place.

"What is marriage? Marriage is more than the exchange of rings and the sharing of a household. It is much more than just living together," Eva started and finished with: "Marriage is love; true love that goes far beyond passion; it is a love that you can reach for in times of crisis as well as joy, and know it will be there to comfort and share."

Hailey took her place again and the minister stepped up front.

"Thank you Hailey." The minister continued with the ceremony. "Today we have gathered here to witness the joining of Grisha and Zoya. For them, out of the routine or ordinary life, the extraordinary has happened. They met each other, fell in love and are finalizing it with their wedding. A good marriage must be created, it is never being too old to hold hands. It's remembering to say I love you every day and it's not just marrying the right person it's being the right partner." Zoya and Callen looked at each other and smiled. "Grisha and Zoya, please join hands." Callen and Zoya took each other's right hand. "Grisha, you may recite your vows."

Callen looked into Zoya's eyes before speaking. "Zoya, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never thought I would have this life but then I met you. I knew from the start that you were the one for me. You have made me a better man. Because of my messed up past I didn't think I deserved someone so beautiful and loving as you, but here we are today. I feel so lucky to have you in my life and I never wanna spend a day without you in my life. You complete me. I know we've had our ups and downs but I think it has only made us stronger. I promise to love you, honor you and respect you from this point forward. You are my best friend, my soulmate and I'm so lucky that I can call myself your husband. I, Grisha take you Zoya to be my wife, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever."

Zoya couldn't help but cry a bit as Callen spoke to her. Callen cupped her face with his left hand and removed the tears.

"Zoya, you may recite your vows."

"Grisha, you have made me really happy these past few years. I am so very happy to get married to you today. I love you and I feel so lucky to have you in my life. I don't care about the past you had, you have grown into a wonderful and loving man. I know it wasn't always easy but we handled it together. I was so very happy when you asked me to marry you and here we are today. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. You've made my life so much better, I always love coming home to you. You bring out the best in me. You are my best friend, my lover, my soulmate. All I am is yours. I promise to love you, honor you and respect you from this point forward as your wife. I, Zoya take you Grisha to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow and forever."

Callen couldn't help but cry a bit too as Zoya spoke, he was so happy with her and he was so happy he was getting married to her.

"Here before us Grisha and Zoya have said their vows to each other. Now we bind them to those vows.

Grisha, do you take Zoya Foster to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only unto her?"

"I do," Callen replied with a smile.

"Zoya, do you take Grisha Callen to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him?"

"I do," Zoya spoke with the same smile.

The minister grabbed the pillow with the rings.

"Wedding rings are an unbroken circle of love, signifying to all the union of this couple in marriage. Grisha, please take the ring, place it on Zoya's finger and repeat after me."

Callen grabbed the ring and placed it on Zoya's finger as he spoke. "Zoya, this ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honor you all the days of my life and with this ring, I thee wed."

Zoya looked down at her hand as Callen put the ring on it and she couldn't help but smile.

"Zoya, please take the ring, place it on Grisha's finger and repeat after me."

Zoya grabbed the ring and placed it on Callen's finger as she spoke. "Grisha, this ring is my sacred gift, with my promise that I will always love you, cherish you and honor you all the days of my life and with this ring, I thee wed."

"Zoya and Grisha have exchanged vows, I do's and rings. So now there's only one thing left for me to do. Grisha and Zoya, by the power vested in my by the state of California I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Zoya and Callen smiled at each other and Called pulled her closer. Everyone started clapping as Zoya and Callen kissed each other.

"We're married," Zoya whispered to Callen.

"Yeah I know," Callen whispered back. "I love you."

"I love you too."

..

Suddenly Callen heard a shot rang out and felt Zoya collapsed in his arms.

* * *

 **A/N: haha I know, evil cliffhanger.**

 **You can find the pics of the outfits and such on my twitter along with the links to the whole poems. My twitter is ilse_futbolista**

 **Also I put a sort of Chris O'Donnell reference in this story. Wonder if anyone will catch it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: For those of you who didn't notice. The sort of COD reference in the last chapter was the song Seal - Kiss from a rose. It was the official song of the movie Batman Forever.**

* * *

On the song Savage Garden - truly, madly, deeply Callen and Zoya walked down the aisle as the guests threw rose petals on them. They were both smiling as they walked down the aisle. They went inside and waited for the minister, maid of honor and best man.

"I can't believe we're married," Callen spoke as he pulled Zoya to him.

"I know me neither but I'm really happy."

"Yeah me too."

They gave each other a kiss before they were joined by the others. They signed the documents as the photographer took pictures and walked back out. The guests were inside. Callen and Zoya went to take some pictures around the grounds. They looked so beautiful together. Everyone could see that they really loved each other. They took some pictures with just the two of them, some pictures with the bridesmaids, best man, ring girl and flower girl, some pictures with just the maid of honor and the best man, some pictures with just Zoya and the bridesmaids, some pictures with Callen and Sam and some pictures with Zoya's parents. When they were done with the pictures they asked the other guests to come outside. On the spot they had the ceremony they took some pictures with everyone there. Once the pictures had been taken they went inside to have dinner. The tables stood in a U-shape with seats on either side of the table. Callen and Zoya sat in the middle with Eva and Hailey next to Zoya and Sam next to Callen. The chairs all had a piece of white and blue striped fabric over the back. Callen's chair had the text Groom attached to it and Zoya's chair had the text Bride attached to it. There was an charger which was standing on a sort of round tablemat made out of white rope. On the plate lay a blue napkin with a white rope wrapped around it with a gold anchor on it. Next to the plate lay the cutlery which was tied together with a white rope and it lay on a blue napkin. Callen and Zoya each had a champagne glass with a piece of straw around it, a blue fabric flower and a silver anchor. Each glass had a piece of white fabric, on Zoya's glass stood Mrs. and on Callen's glass stood Mr. The guests had a champagne glass with a rope around the stem and a blue and white stripped ribbon around it with a blue anchor on it. On several places on the tables stood a vase with white orchid leaves it in and a white rope around the bottom of the vase. Before dinner was brought in Callen stood up.

"On behave of Zoya and me I would like to thank you all for coming here today. It really means a lot to Zoya and me. Thank you for coming to celebrate this special day with us. I hope you enjoy the dinner and have a lovely evening."

Callen sat back down and dinner was brought in. Callen and Zoya first got theirs and then the rest of the guests. Everyone had turned in what they wanted for dinner so the staff knew what to make. Callen had vegetable soup and Zoya had the melon with ham as first course. As main course Callen had the rib-eye steak and Zoya had the pork tenderloin. As dessert they both had the vanilla ice cream with cherries. Dinner was absolutely delicious. After dinner they went outside to a covered open tent. On the roof was blue and white striped fabric and from several places hung four lanterns, one white, one blue and two blue and white stripped. The tables had a blue and white stripped cloth over it with the chairs being white fabric with a blue bow on the back. On the tables stood an arrangement of three vases in different height with some shells in it and a floating candle and a low squared vase with white roses in it and a blue and white stripped ribbon around the vase. There also were a few standing tables which had a piece of blue fabric around it with a rope around it. On those tables stood the same arrangement as on the other tables. There was part of the floor that could be used as a dancing area with the DJ standing behind that. The DJ was playing soft music as the wedding party arrived. Callen and Zoya stood together and the guests came to congratulated them. Eva, Hailey and Sam took the presents from them and put them aside so Callen and Zoya could open them later. Once all the guests had congratulated them Callen and Zoya went to mingle before it was time for the first dance.

"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen," the DJ interrupted them. "May I ask the happy couple to come to the dance floor?"

Together Callen and Zoya walked out to the dance floor. To thank you for loving me by Bon Jovi Callen and Zoya danced their first dance as husband and wife. It was so beautiful to see them dancing together. Everyone could see that they really loved each other.

Callen and Zoya looked at each other as they danced. It seemed like they were the only two people in the room. Once the song had ended Zoya pulled her father onto the dance floor and Callen took Vera out on the dance floor. After this song the others joined the dance floor too.

After a few dances Eva stepped onto the dancefloor and grabbed the mic as the DJ turned the music down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for a moment please," Eva started and everyone turned their heads into the direction of Eva. "First of all congratulations to Grisha and Zoya. You really are a beautiful couple together. I'm very honored that my sister asked me as her maid of honor. She's my big sister, I've known her my entire life. I'm so happy that she found someone that makes her happy. Everyone can see that you and Grisha are meant for each other. Every once in a while, two people meet and you just know it's meant to be and that their paths would bring them together no matter what the world might throw their way. We can all see clearly that this is the case with Zoya and Grisha. As you can see Grisha and Zoya are both phenomenal individuals. Together they are unstoppable. They have what everyone hopes for. They truly are a perfect match and they will be able to get through anything as friends, soulmates and as husband and wife. I wish you all the happiness and laughter together. May your home be filled with laughter and your hearts with love. To Grisha and Zoya," Eva spoke and she raised her glass.

"To Grisha and Zoya," the others spoke as they raised their glasses as well.

Around 9.30pm the cake was brought out. Zoya and Callen cut the cake together and fed each other the first piece.

Everyone was really having a good time. Just after 2am everyone had left. They had booked rooms for the guests at the DoubleTree suites by Hilton hotel in Santa Monica. Cars had come to pick them up and brought them to the hotel. For the guests they had booked a two queen beds one bedroom suite. The guests shared a room together, three or four persons in each room. Zoya and Callen slept in the one king presidential ocean view room with indoor whirlpool. Sam, Hailey and Eva had put all of the presents Callen and Zoya had gotten in the safe so Callen and Zoya could pick them up in the morning. Callen and Zoya thanked everyone at the venue before leaving. A limo was waiting for them and brought them to the hotel.

"I can't believe we're married," Zoya spoke as they sat in the back of the car.

"I know me neither, but I'm really happy."

"Me too."

During the ride to the hotel they were kissing each other. It was only about a ten minute drive. They checked in and went up to their room. Callen opened the door and picked Zoya up bridal style. All kissing they walked into the room. Callen brought her over to the bed and gently lay her down on it.

"Why don't you make it romantic in here while I go change?" Zoya spoke.

"Deal."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before they got up from the bed. Zoya disappeared into the bathroom as Callen made the room a bit more cozier and poured them both a glass of champagne. A little later Zoya came out of the bathroom. she stood in the doorway leaning with her hand against the doorpost. Callen looked at her from his position on the bed with just his boxers on. She looked hot in her blue and white flyaway chemise and thong panties with floral print with a white garter with a blue ribbon around it and an anchor around her upper leg.

"You like it?" Zoya asked as she caught Callen staring at her.

"I love it. Come here."

Seductively Zoya walked over to the bed. Callen was sitting against the headrest and Zoya straddled him. She grabbed the two glasses of champagne and handed one to Callen.

"Here's to us as husband and wife," Zoya spoke.

"To us."

They toasted and drank a sip. Callen took their glasses and placed them on the nightstand. He pulled Zoya to him and kissed her deeply. As they were kissing he turned them around so Zoya was lying on her back on the bed. Callen couldn't believe he was actually here with his wife. He was married now. So far he had loved every minute of it. He loved Zoya so much and he was very happy to be her husband. He kissed her passionately as his hands roamed over her body. Callen moved his lips down to her neck as he moved the straps of her chemise down. He placed kisses down her body and he took the chemise with him as he went further down. He moved it down her legs and threw it across the room, not caring where it landed. He slowly moved the garter down and threw it across the room as well. Callen went back to her and kissed her as he pressed himself against her. He wanted her so badly and he could feel Zoya wanted him too.

"You're so beautiful," Callen whispered in Zoya's ear which sent shivers down her spine.

Zoya moaned as Callen kissed her spot in her neck. She was already so turned on. She wanted him so badly. Callen placed kisses down her chest and lingered on her breasts as his hand made its way in between her legs. Zoya spread her legs wider as she felt his hand getting close to where she wanted it the most. His lips on her breasts and his hand in between her legs made Zoya feel so good. She didn't think it could get better but then Callen moved her panties away and touched her. It felt so good what this man was doing to her. He always knew exactly how to pleasure her. Zoya's hands clawed in Callen's upper arms as he was pleasuring her. It didn't take her long to reach her peak.

Once she had come down from her high Zoya turned them around so she was on top. She moved down as she placed kisses on his chest and removed his boxers. Callen was in heaven as Zoya pleasured him. Once Callen had finished Zoya took her panties off and sat on Callen's lap. She moved back and forth a bit before sliding down on him.

Their lovemaking was really good. They both were in heaven as they made love. They made love all over the room for hours. It was around 5am when they fell asleep in each other's arms.

..

Callen woke up and saw that Zoya was still asleep next to him. He gave her a soft kiss on her head before getting out of the bed. He pulled his boxers and a shirt on and went to the balcony. He still couldn't believe he was actually married. But he was and he loved Zoya more than anything. She really was the one for him. A little later he felt two familiar arms wrapping around him.

"Hey honey," Zoya spoke.

"Hey baby." Callen pulled her around and kissed her deeply. "I love you Mrs. Callen."

"And I love you Mr. Callen," Zoya replied with a smile.

Callen wanted to kiss her again but he heard a shot rang out and seconds later Zoya collapsed in his arms.

"Zoya?" Callen spoke as he looked at her body going limp. "No Zoya, stay with me honey."

"G," Zoya's weak voice spoke.

"It's okay honey, it's gonna be fine. I'm right here, it's all gonna be fine."

"I….. love… you."

"I love you too, just save your breath."

Callen looked down, a lot a blood was coming from her chest.

"G…."

Callen looked at her and saw her slipping away.

"No Zoya, stay with me. Don't you die on me. Stay with me honey."

Suddenly her body went limp in his arms and he saw her eyes widening.

"NO ZOYA!"

Suddenly Callen realized he was sitting upright in the bed.

"G? What's wrong?" Zoya asked fully awake.

Callen looked her way. She was right here, she was right next to him.

"Zoya?"

"Yeah, it's me honey, what's going on?"

Callen launched forward and wrapped his arms around Zoya.

"Thank god honey, thank god you're okay."

"I'm right here honey. What's going on?"

"I just had a bad dream. That's all."

"It was just a bad dream honey, I'm still right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm just glad you're alright. You died in my nightmare."

"Oh honey, I'm not dead. I'm right here honey."

Callen lay back down on the bed with Zoya in his arms. Zoya lay her head down on his chest and wrapped her arm around him.

"I'm right here honey, I'm still with you."

Callen was glad that it was just a bad dream and that Zoya was still here. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and managed to fall asleep again.

Around 11am they both woke up.

"Good morning Mrs. Callen," Callen spoke once he saw that Zoya was awake.

"Good morning Mr. Callen," Zoya replied with a smile.

Callen crawled closer to Zoya and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, I can't believe we're husband and wife now."

"I love you too, yeah me neither. But we are."

"Yes we are."

Callen kissed her which led to a round of love making. Together they went into the whirlpool and made love twice more. They ordered some food into the room. They sat out on the balcony to eat it. After getting dressed they went over to the venue. Callen and Sam had brought Callen's car to the hotel already yesterday before going to the venue. They took the car and went to the venue to pick up their gifts before driving home. They brought the presents into the living room and sat on the couch to open them.

They just relaxed around the house before their flight left, it didn't leave until this evening. After dinner they grabbed their luggage and left for LAX.

Callen parked the car in long term parking. They grabbed their luggage and walked in. They walked to their check-in desk. They had already checked in from home so they only needed to drop off their luggage. After dropping off their luggage they walked to customs. They put all their things in the box and walked through the metal detector. They both could go through. They grabbed their things and sat waiting and had something to drink until they could board their flight. Just past 12.15am they could board their flight. They stood in line at the gate and walked through the tunnel to the plane. They walked to their seats, which were a few rows from the start on the left. They put their luggage in the overhead bins and waited for the play to take off. Just before 1am they went down the runway. It was a little more than a fourteen hour flight. They both managed to get some sleep on the plane. It was just after 6am, local time, when they arrived in Shanghai. They took their luggage from the overhead bin and exited the plane once they were allowed to. They waited at baggage claim for their luggage. Once their luggage was their they went to their check-in desk. They had to switch flights here. They checked in and dropped off their luggage. After passing customs they went to get some breakfast. Their flight didn't leave until noon. Just after 11am they stood in line to board the flight. This time they had the front row seats. They placed their luggage into the overhead bins and waited till the other passengers had arrived too. Just past noon they taxied down the runway. Once they plane was up the air the flight attendants came by with lunch. This flight was about eight hours.

* * *

 **A/N: the pictures of what the reception looked like you can find on my twitter ilse_futbolista**


	21. Chapter 21

It was around 5pm, local time when then landed on the airport of Male, Maldives. They had planned the honeymoon for two weeks at first and then one more week at home but they ended up going for seventeen days which consisted of about two days of travel time all together. They couldn't choose the hotel so they had decided to go to more than one hotel. Three hotels to be exactly. They first went to the Lily beach resort & Spa. This was on the South Ari Atoll. At the Male airport they took a sea plane which took them to the island. As the flew the saw the beautiful surroundings. It was absolutely stunning. It was only a short flight until they arrived at their hotel. There was a pier in the water where the plane could land next to. Someone from the hotel was waiting for them at the pier. Callen got out first and Zoya handed him their luggage and then Callen helped Zoya out.

"Welcome to Lily beach resort," the man greeted them friendly. "I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you."

Someone else from the hotel was there too and grabbed their luggage. He took their suitcases as Callen and Zoya walked down the pier. It was so beautiful, beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. After being checked in they followed the man with their suitcases to their villa. They were staying in one of the sunset water villa. They had booked a honeymoon package with premium upgrade. Their villa was to the left, at the end of the pier. They walked over the pier with the villas attached to it standing above the water. From the pier they could walked down the stairs into the ocean as well. Their villa was at the end of the pier. They had, from their view, the second villa on the left. The hotel employee opened the door and took their suitcases inside before handing the keys to Callen. Callen tipped him before he and Zoya walked inside. They came into a living area which had an oversized daybed which overlooked the ocean. The daybed was behind, from the entrance, a small kitchenette which had a minibar and coffee and tea appliances. To the left was the bedroom which had a king sized double four poster bed with canopy over it. On the bed lay a few roses in a heart shape. Behind the bed was a couch and in the right corner stood a TV. From their bed they had a beautiful view of the ocean. To the right of the living area was the bathroom which had a Jacuzzi tub, toilet, shower booth and double vanity. From their tub they could overlook the ocean as well. On the private overwater deck they had a Jacuzzi pool, two lounge beds with a parasol and a dinner table. From their deck they had stairs that lead into the ocean. Each room had sliding doors that could be opened fully with access to their deck. On the minibar stood a bottle of sparkling wine, heart-shaped cake, a bottle of champagne, chocolates and fruit basket. Around the room stood several local exotic flowers. In their room was also a framed honeymoon certificate.

"It's so beautiful here," Zoya stated.

"Yeah it truly is. This view is stunning."

"Oh yes it totally is."

They unpacked their suitcases and went to get dressed for dinner. The weather was beautiful here. It was about eight-five(thirty) degrees and sunny. Zoya wore short white pants with a green button down chiffon blouse with rolled up sleeves while Callen wore a pair of Bermuda jeans with a short sleeved blue polo shirt. They went to eat at Tamarind this evening. They had a table on one of the extended areas of the restaurant which was above the water. The dinner was absolutely delicious. After dinner they went back to their villa. They changed into their swimsuits and sat in the pool. They grabbed the bottle of champagne and the cake. Callen opened the bottle of champagne and poured them both a glass.

"Here's to us, as husband and wife," Zoya spoke.

"To us."

The view they had from the pool was stunning. It was dark already but they had some light from the moon and the villa. They sat in the pool just relaxing for a while. They finished the bottle of champagne and the cake. Once everything was finished Zoya climbed onto Callen's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as Callen wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm really happy to be your wife."

"That's funny cus I'm really happy to be your husband."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Zoya leaned forward and kissed Callen. Callen pulled her closer to him and kissed her even deeper. He loved everything about this woman, he still couldn't quite believe that they were married now. But they were, Callen was a married man now. That was something he never thought he'd be but he was very happy to be Zoya's husband. She really was the one for him. They were just perfect together.

He felt Zoya's hand slip from his neck and moving down in between them. Seconds later he felt her tucking on his swim shorts. He didn't have to wait long for her to do something because a little later he felt himself sliding inside of her. The sex was already great before they got married but it felt even better now and doing it in the water was just amazing. Their private deck was secluded and giving that it was late there weren't people swimming in the ocean anymore. They were also covered by the pool walls. Callen's hands moved from her waist to her hips and helped her move up and down. They tried to keep the voices to a minimum since someone in the other villas could still be outside on the deck.

"Oh G," Zoya moaned. "I'm close."

"Me too."

Zoya felt one of Callen's hands leave her hips and going in between her legs. Zoya threw her head back and arched her back. Callen moved his free hand back behind her back and held her as she rode out her peak. Just as she was come down Callen reached his peak. Zoya collapsed down against Callen.

"Wow that was amazing," Zoya uttered.

"Yeah it was. You look so beautiful doing that."

"How about we go inside and start round two?"

"I'd like that."

They quickly put their swimsuits back on correctly and went inside. They locked the doors and closed the curtains. They dried themselves off and rid themselves of their swimsuits before lying down on the bed. Callen moved her to the middle of the bed and lay down on top of her. They had a lot of fun with each other before going to sleep.

They next morning they woke up around 9am.

"Good morning Grisha," Zoya spoke.

"Good morning Zoya."

Callen crawled closer to her and kissed her. They got dressed and headed for breakfast. They had a private breakfast today at Waterbraker. It was part of their honeymoon package.

After breakfast they went on a turtle excursions tour. It was part of the honeymoon package too. They went out on a boat. It was about a two hour journey. They went to a reef where a lot of turtles where. There were more people on the boat. Once they were at the point they put their flippers and snorkels on before diving into the water. The reef was absolutely beautiful. They water was crystal clear. It was truly beautiful. Zoya had taken her underwater camera with her and took some pictures. They saw a lot of turtles swimming by, big turtles. Some of the crew dove in too and took some pictures of the guests so they could buy them later.

They stayed in the water for about an hour and a half before sailing back to shore. Once back at shore they bought a few pictures and some turtle souvenirs. They went back to the hotel and went to have some lunch before they went back to their villa. They changed into their swimsuits and lay down on the deck chairs. A little later Zoya went down the stairs into the ocean. The ocean around the villa was crystal clear with some reef. Callen grabbed the camera and took some pictures of Zoya out in the ocean. She stayed there for a while before climbing back onto the villa.

That evening they had a private romantic 4-course dinner on the beach, it was in their honeymoon package. Zoya wore a formal summer dress. The top was salmon colored and the bottom was white with salmon and grey colored flowers. In the middle was a grey sash. The bottom was silk and flowing. Callen wore a pair of dress Jeans and a blue and white checkered button down shirt. On the beach stood a gazebo with a table underneath it. On the table stood several candles and around the gazebo hung a few light strings.

"Good evening, my name is Suno and I'll be your waiter this evening. Can I offer you some champagne?"

"Yes please," Callen replied.

Suno opened the bottle of champagne and poured them both a glass. A little later their first course arrived. Dinner was absolutely amazing. They were both full when they had finished. They took a stroll over the beach before going back to their villa. They lay on the daybed in the living area enjoying a drink before going to bed.

The next day after breakfast they went to the spa. Some spa treatments were part of their honeymoon package as well. They had their own spa cabin. They both lay on the bed as they were being massaged. It was totally relaxing. In addition to the spa treatments that were in their package, a ten minute shoulder and neck massage and a forty minute massage for two, they also had some facials and a nice relaxing Jacuzzi.

They were both very relaxed when they left. They had some lunch before going back to their villa. They grabbed their swim gear and went to the water sports center. There was a variety of things they could do. The winds were good today so they decided to do kiteboarding. They put some protective gear on before going out onto the water. They stood on a board while holding onto a kite. They held up the kite and the wind picked it up. Soon they were gliding over the water. It was really thrilling to do. Once they had done this they also rented a water bicycle. They cycled out onto the ocean. The water was crystal clear so they could see the bottom. The aquatic life was just stunning. After being finished with this they went back to their villa. They just relaxed around the deck and occasionally took a dip in the pool or ocean.

That evening they were going out to dinner at the Les Turquoise D'Aqua. It was part of their honeymoon package as well. They sat down at one of the tables on the overwater deck. The view was just stunning. The dinner was really delicious. After dinner they went back to their villa and got in the bathtub together. They had the door open and enjoyed the view from the tub. They took some wine and snacks with them to the bathroom. They sat opposite from each other and enjoyed the wine and snacks. Once they had finished a bottle of wine Zoya crawled over to Callen in the tub and kissed him. She straddled him and wrapped her legs around him as Callen wrapped his arms around her back.

"I really like being here with you," Callen admitted.

"I like being with here with you too and the island is so beautiful."

"Oh yes it absolutely is."

Zoya kissed him again as her hand moved in between him and started pleasuring Callen. Just as Callen was about to reach his peak Zoya released him and quickly sank down on him. Callen came as soon as Zoya sank down on him.

"Oh, you're gonna be the dead of me woman," Callen moaned.

"I know you love it when I tease you," Zoya smirked as she kept moving.

"I'll always get you back for it," Callen replied with a smirk.

"Oh I know you do."

Callen helped Zoya move. Once they both had finished they got out of the bath. They dried themselves off and closed the doors and curtains before going to the bed. Callen was true to his word and teased Zoya as well. They made love for a few hours before going to sleep.

They stayed here for one more night after this night before going to another hotel. On departure they got a special honeymoon gift. They took a water plane from the island to the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. Here they were staying at the Amari Havodda Maldives resort. There was a special arrival jetty. From the pier they walked to the lobby.

"Good afternoon, welcome to the Amari Havodda Maldives resort," a friendly woman behind the desk greeted them.

"Good afternoon. We have a reservation here, Walinsky."

The woman pressed a few keys on her keyboard. "Ah yes of course. Here are your keys and your villa is right here. In the villa is a folder with information about the hotel and the island. Please let us know if you need something. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you."

Callen took the keys and map and they walked to their villa. They were staying in an overwater pool villa. Their villa was to the left of the lobby. They walked over the island before they reached the pier. Their villa was at the end of the pier on the left. They came into the living room. On the left side was the mini bar, which featured coffee and tea making facilities, and on the right side was a small desk with table lamp and map of the resort and island. Against the left wall stood a sofa with a coffee table in front and side tables with table lamps on it on either side of the sofa. On the coffee table stood a bottle of wine and some chocolates, this was part of their honeymoon package. Two rattan chairs stood behind the coffee table and in the right corner a TV. Behind that was the doorway to their terrace. Through sliding doors they accessed the terrace. In the left corner stood a dinner table with two chairs. On the deck stood two deck chairs. They had an overwater hammock next to the stairs leading into the ocean. On the left side was a private plunge pool and on the deck stood an oversized daybed. Next to the pool against the wall was an outdoor shower. Behind the pool was the bedroom, right of the living room. They walked into the bedroom from the terrace. In the right corner stood a TV. In the left corner stood a daybed. In the middle stood a king sized four poster bed. On the left side next to the bed stood a desk. Behind the bed was the wardrobe. On the left side of the bed was the door to the bathroom. The bathroom was on the front of the villa and covered open-air. On the left side stood two separate vanities. Directly across from the door stood a bathtub. On the right side were two booths, one with the rain shower and one with the toilet. The bathroom had toiletries, bathrobe and slippers, bidet, hair dryer, a clothes line and shaver point. Each room had a ceiling fan. The view from their terrace was amazing. The water was crystal clear on this island as well.

They had booked a just the two of us package for four nights. They changed into their swimsuits and lay down on the deck chairs. Today Zoya wore her American flag style bikini, Callen wore his blue swim shorts. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly. They just enjoyed the rest of the day before going to dinner. They went to eat at the Ember Robatayaki this evening. This was included in their honeymoon package. Zoya wore a Japanese style dress with a chiffon short sleeved pink top and a floral print skirt. Callen wore a pair of dress jeans with a black button down blouse.

This restaurant was a Japanese restaurant. It was live cooking. In the middle stood the chef and around the 'kitchen' was a bar. Zoya and Callen took their seat at the bar. They had some wine and enjoyed the dinner. It was really delicious. After dinner they took a stroll over the beach before going back to their villa. As soon as they were inside Callen pulled Zoya to him and kissed her deeply. Callen lifted her up and Zoya automatically wrapped her legs around him. Callen kept kissing her as he walked them towards the bed. Callen lay her down on the bed and lay down on top of her. Clothes were discarded and thrown across the room before they made love.

Afterwards they lay in each other's arms.

"I'm really happy to be here with you," Callen admitted.

"I'm really happy to be here with you too."

"The island is so beautiful. I never thought I'd be here, let alone on my honeymoon."

"Yeah, it's a perfect location for a honeymoon." Zoya lifted her hand and looked at her wedding ring. "Yeah, we're married."

"Yeah we are," Callen replied with a smile. "That ring really looks beautiful on your finger."

"It does, but I'm probably not gonna wear it when I'm at work."

"Yeah me neither, I don't wanna lose it and besides if I have to go undercover I can't always wear it."

"Yeah same here. But as soon as I'm off I will but it back on."

"Good, cus I want everyone to know you're taken."

"Oh I will, you better wear yours too cus you're mine."

"I will and no worries honey, I am yours."

"That's good."

Callen pulled her closer and kissed her again. As Callen pressed into her she felt his excitement.

"You wanna go again honey?" Zoya asked with a smirk.

"Oh, I always wanna go again."

Callen kissed her again as he hooked Zoya's leg over his hip and moved inside of her. Zoya held onto him as they made love.

"I love you Mrs. Callen," Callen spoke once they had finished.

"I love you too Mr. Callen. I enjoy hearing that."

"What? I love you?"

"Well that too but Mrs. Callen, it sounds nice."

"It does sound nice yeah."

They gave each other one more kiss before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning they woke up around 9am and they went to breakfast. They walked down the pier onto the island. The breakfast restaurant was near the lobby.

"Zoya?" Zoya suddenly heard a voice near her call.


	22. Chapter 22

Zoya looked around, wondering who would recognize her. She looked around and saw a familiar face. "Ryan?"

"Hey Zoya, it's good to see you again," Ryan spoke as he walked up to her and Callen.

"It's good to see you too Ryan. Of all the places we run into each other here."

"Yeah."

Callen was wondering who this guy was and how Zoya know him. Zoya looked over to Callen. "Ryan, this is my husband Grisha."

"Hi, nice to meet you," Ryan said and shook Callen's hand.

"Nice to meet you too. How do you know Zoya?" Callen wondered, wondering if this guy was a danger.

"Zoya and I worked together."

"He was my partner when I worked at the NCIS office in San Diego." Ryan looked at her with a questioned face, he knew she had been transferred to a secret office after she left San Diego so he wondered why she would tell. "It's okay Ryan, Grisha is a NCIS agent too. He works out of the OSP."

"The office of special projects? You are _the_ agent G. Callen?" Ryan spoke astonished.

"Yep, the one and only."

"Wow, it's an honor to meet you, I've heard some great stories about you and your office. You do amazing work. Is this where you went to work Zoya?"

"Nope it's not. Another secret office."

"Well, it was nice to see you again. I should be getting back to my family."

"Ah, you have a family now?"

"Yeah, a wife and a three year old daughter."

"That's great."

"Yeah, it's really nice. How about you? Any kids?"

"No, not yet. We just got married, we're actually here on our honeymoon."

"Oh wow, congratulations."

"Thank you. Say hi to the others at the office for me."

"Will do. See ya."

Ryan walked off and Callen and Zoya went to have breakfast.

"He seems like a nice guy," Callen said.

"Yeah, I got along with him very well. But don't worry honey, nothing was ever going on between us."

"I'm not worried but it's good to know."

Once they breakfast had gone down they went to the water sports center. They rented a peddle board. They got a short orientation before they were allowed to go into the water. It was a bit hard to stand on the paddle board but after a while Zoya and Callen were able to do it. They paddle out onto the ocean. The waters were crystal clear. They saw some sea creatures swim underneath them. They stayed on the water for about fifty minutes before paddling back to the beach. They turned in their paddle boards. After that they went on an excursion to snorkel at the reef. They got onto the boat and sailed out to a reef. Once there they put their snorkels and flippers on and dove into the water. The reef was absolutely beautiful. Zoya had taken the underwater camera with her and they took some pictures. They stayed in the water for about forty-five minutes before going back to shore. Once back on the island Callen and Zoya went to get lunch. After lunch they went to the spa. A sixty minutes spa treatment was part of their honeymoon package. After the spa they went back to the villa. They relaxed on the pool deck before dinner. For dinner they went to the Amaya food gallery. This was the main buffet restaurant. Once they had their dinner they went back to their villa. They grabbed some drinks and snacks and lay outside on the oversized daybed.

The next morning they ordered in breakfast. It was part of their honeymoon package as well. They placed the order last night and just after nine it was delivered.

"Enjoy your breakfast," the friendly waiter spoke.

"Thank you."

Callen tipped him before he left. They sat outside at the table and enjoyed their breakfast. It was truly delicious. They had some fresh baked breads and croissants, some fruit, yoghurt, freshly squeezed orange juice, cereal and sparkling wine.

After their breakfast had gone down they went to the water sports center again. Today they were going on a jet ski cruise in the Desert island lagoon. They were gone for about two hours, which included an hour jet ski ride. The lagoon was really perfect. It was really beautiful. Zoya had driven a jet ski before but Callen hadn't so he got some instruction on how to do it. A guide went along with them on the trip. Once the sixty minutes were up they went back to the boat and they sailed back to shore. Once they were back on shore they rented some snorkels and flippers and went to do some house reef snorkeling for about forty-five minutes. After that they went back to their villa and just relaxed. They had a late lunch so they could eat dinner once they came back from their sunset cruise. Given it was winter down south the sun set earlier than in the summer.

Just before the sun started to set they got on board on the boat. They went on a sunset cruise with dolphin search. Hopefully they would find some dolphins. They trip took about two hours in total. They were in luck. They saw some dolphins. Zoya had taken a beautiful picture with a dolphin jumping in front of the setting sun.

When they were back on the island Zoya and Callen went to get some dinner at the buffet restaurant. Afterwards they went to the bar to have some drinks before going back to their villa. As soon as the door to their villa was closed Callen picked Zoya up and kissed her deeply. He walked them to the bedroom but he crashed into the wall since Zoya had reached inside his pants. Callen pushed Zoya against the wall as he moved his lips down to her neck. Zoya pushed Callen's pants and boxers down with her hand and feet. Luckily Zoya was wearing a dress so Callen just moved it up and bit and moved her underwear aside before pushing into her. It felt so good doing it like this. Once they had finished Callen walked them to the bed. They took their clothes off and made love.

The next morning they were up early. After breakfast they went to the water sports center. Today they were taking a boat cruise. It took up half a day in total. They would sail to a desert island to explore that. The island was totally beautiful. With a guide they explored the island. Around lunch time they had lunch near springs in the middle of the island. It was a truly beautiful location.

Late in the afternoon they were back at their hotel. They went to their villa to relax a bit before going to dinner. Today was their last night. In the morning they had to leave, but because they had a honeymoon package they could check out late. After dinner they went back to their villa. They lay down on the daybed for a while before going to bed.

The next morning they slept in and had some breakfast before packing up their stuff. They had to take a plane this time. First they took a water plane from their island to Kaadedhdhoo island. Their airplane left there just before 12.30pm. It was only about an hour flight back to Malé. From there they took a sea plane to Kuramathi. They walked via the pier onto the island and went to the reception.

"Good afternoon, welcome to Kuramathi," a friendly woman greeted them.

"Good afternoon, we have a reservation here, Walinsky," Callen replied.

The woman typed some things on her computer. "Ah yes, in the honeymoon pool villa."

"Yes that's correct."

"Congratulations on your wedding."

"Thank you."

The woman pulled out a map and showed them were their villa was. "Here is your key, a folder with information is in your room. I hope enjoy your stay here."

"Thank you."

With the key and map in hand they walked to their villa. They took the right path towards the beach and then walked west along the beach. They kept following the foot path until they were at their villa. It was a beautiful villa. It was a large one-bedroom villa with separate living area. The living area had a comfortable sofa and daybed with a flat screen TV and a mini bar with an espresso machine. The bedroom had a king sized bed and a daybed. They had a private sanctuary at the back with an open air bathroom with twin vanities, large ceiling LED-lit shower and a bath for two. They also had an air conditioned dining area. At the back of the yard stood two deck chairs and a large daybed underneath a gazebo. On the right side of the yard they had a beautiful ten meter lap pool with Jacuzzi. The rooms each had a ceiling fan. It was truly beautiful. Their own little piece of private heaven. They put their suitcases away and went to have lunch. After lunch they went back to their villa and changed themselves into their swimsuits. Zoya wore an aqua colored bikini with blue flowers on it and Callen wore his blue and white checkered swim shorts. They rubbed themselves with sunscreen and lay down on the deck chairs. Callen looked at Zoya as they lay there, he still couldn't quite believe he was actually married right now but so far he was loving it. He loved being here with Zoya. It was truly a perfect location to have their honeymoon. The islands were so beautiful and the resorts were just perfect. He felt really lucky right now. They just relaxed at their villa and occasionally took a dip in the pool before getting changed for dinner. Zoya dressed herself in a brown/gold pair of hot pants with a white thank top and a gold sparkling kimono over it. She finished the outfit with a pair of gold earrings, a long gold necklace and white pumps. Callen was dressed in a pair of dress jeans with a dark blue button down shirt. Today there were having a private dinner on a secluded part of the beach. It was a beautiful location, white sandy beaches and the beautiful sun starting to set over the ocean. On the table stood a couple of candles. Callen sat Zoya down before he sat down himself.

"Hello my name is Alex and I'll be your waiter this evening," Alex greeted them friendly. "Can I offer you some champagne?"

"Yes please," Zoya replied.

Alex opened the bottle of champagne and poured them both a glass and put the bottle back in the cooler before leaving.

"Here's to us," Callen spoke.

"To us," Zoya said and they toasted.

A little later Alex returned with their first course. The dinner was truly delicious. After dinner they took a stroll down the beach back to their villa.

"How about we have some fun in the Jacuzzi before going to bed?" Zoya spoke seductively as she started taking her kimono off.

Callen didn't have to be told twice and he started taking his clothes off too. They left a path of clothes behind them as they walked to the Jacuzzi. Fully naked they stepped into the Jacuzzi. Zoya sat down on Callen's lap and kissed him. Callen wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"I love you," Zoya whispered to Callen.

"I love you too. You've really made me the luckiest man on earth."

"That's good cus I feel like the luckiest woman on earth."

Callen kissed her again and they made love in the Jacuzzi. Once they had finished Callen carried them, still joined, inside. He grabbed a towel so they could dry themselves off. As they were drying themselves off Callen pushed Zoya against the wall. Zoya let the towel drop and wrapped her arms around Callen. This man was just so good whenever they made love. Once they had both come down from their high Callen put Zoya down on the ground. They wiped the last of the water off from their bodies and got in bed. They made love a couple more times before going to sleep.

Once their breakfast had settled the next morning they went to the water sports center. Here they rented two single canoes with a glass bottom. They put their life vests on and with the peddle in hand they sat down in the canoe. They had rented the canoe for an hour. Zoya had taken her underwater camera with her. The ocean was so beautiful and crystal clear. Zoya took some pictures underwater and took some pictures of Callen as well and Callen did of her too. When their hour was up they peddled back to the beach. Next they went to do some fun tubing. They each sat in a tube behind a motor boat. The boat picked up speed and pulled them over the water really fast. They had to hold on really tight. They each fell off once. After that they went to do some para-sailing. They sat down in the seats and strapped themselves in. The boat picked up speed and they were flown backwards into the air. It was actually thrilling to do. When they were back on the beach they went to have some lunch before going back to their villa. They relaxed in their villa before having dinner.

The next day they went to explore they island. The villas were on the edges of the island but on the inside were some trails they could walk. They started with the nature trail. They walked through the Maldivian rainforest. It was beautiful with some beautiful wildlife. Next they went to the Hermit crab walk. This was a circular walk with plenty of these wonderful marine crustaceans. After the crab walk they had lunch at Duniye, it was right next to it. After lunch they went to the Banyan tree trail, which was a beautiful path between the banyan trees. Callen took some pictures of Zoya at the banyan trees. A couple just passed them by as they were taking pictures and Callen asked if they could take a picture of both him and Zoya. The man took a picture of Callen and Zoya and after that Callen took a picture of them. After the banyan trees they went to the Botanical walk. Along the walk were beautiful plants. Some plants had a little information board next to it saying which plant it was and what they were used for. Next they went to the Hydroponics garden. The hydroponics garden was a facility which catered around seventy percent of fresh salads to the food outlets on the island. There were twenty greenhouses which housed different kinds of herbs. After this walk they went back to their villa and got changed for dinner. Zoya wore a long strapless salmon colored dress with a gold belt around her waist. Callen wore a pair of dress jeans with a light blue button down shirt. Today they were going to eat at The Reef. Zoya had the scallops while Callen had the salmon spring role as appetizer. As main course Zoya ordered the chicken breast and Callen had the beef tenderloin. As dessert Zoya had the minted pineapple tartare with lime and Callen had the warmed caramelized apple tart. It was all so delicious.

They stayed at this resort for a week. During the rest of the week they also took a full day catamaran trip with picnic lunch, a snorkeling trip with island stop and a sunset kayak experience at the water sports center. The also went on a semi submarine excursion, a turtle reef snorkeling excursion, a visit to Rasdhoo and a sunset cruise. Sometimes in the evening there was also some entertainment at the bars so they went to that as well. They spread the things out over the days. They also took a trip to the spa to relax. There were a few boutiques on the island so they bought some souvenirs. They had also bought some souvenirs in the other places they visited. The week flew past and before they knew it they were packing their suitcases to go back home. They checked out and took a seaplane back to Malé. They still had today at the island since their flight didn't leave until 7.40pm. Just past 5.30pm they were at the airport. They ate some dinner before they could board their plane. Their flight took about four and a half hours to Abu Dhabi. They decided on another flight back since it was easier, a flight back from Malé to Shanghai wasn't a direct flight. Just past 11pm, local time, they arrived in Abu Dhabi. They had some time here before their next flight left. They booked a hotel at the airport and went to get some sleep. The next morning they had breakfast and just before 9am their flight left. They had another direct flight back to LAX. It was just under a seventeen hour flight. They would land around 2.30pm, local time, back in LA. They were above the Northern Atlantic ocean when suddenly the plane started to shake and the fasten seatbelt sign came on. The shaking seemed harder than just some turbulence and Zoya noticed they dropped in altitude.


	23. Chapter 23

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. As you may have noticed we're in a thunderstorm. We've dropped a bit and slowed down. The thunderstorm is worse up ahead so we're gonna fly around it. Please keep your seatbelts on and stay in your seats until the sign is off. We'll try to make this as smooth as possible. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

They felt the plane make a turn to the left. The plane still shook a bit as they tried to fly around. Suddenly the plane shook really hard, like really, really hard. The lights flickered in the plane before going out. People were starting to panic, wondering what was going on. Because of the storm it was a bit dark outside, even though it was during the day, but Zoya could still see a bit and she thought she saw smoke coming from the wing.

"I think we're hit," Zoya whispered to Callen.

Zoya and Callen looked into the flight attendants lounge and saw them talking to one of the pilots. A little later she tried the phone but it wasn't working anymore.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please," one of the flight attendants yelled. "As you may have noticed we're having some technical difficulties. We tried to go around the storm but the storm suddenly changed course. We're in the middle of the storm and our plane was struck by lightning. We ask you to remain calm. The pilots are trying to get the plane under control. Not all of our engines are down. But since we're across the Atlantic we would like you all to put your life vest on, just as a precaution, don't inflate them just yet but just put them on, inflating only takes a second. Should the plane suddenly go down we are prepared." There was a lot of chatter around the plane. "Please remain calm, we're not going down just yet. The pilots are busy contacting the nearest airport to see if we can land there. The life vests are just a precaution."

The life vests appeared and everyone put them on. As they were putting their life vests on the plane shook really hard again and the plane went down really fast. Screams were heard throughout the plane.

"Try to remain calm everyone, inflate your life vest and brace for shock. On the sticker on the seat in front of you, you can see how to brace for a water landing."

Everyone inflated their life vest and looked at the pictures. Everyone braced for shock. They were going down really fast.

"You good Zoya?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just didn't expect we would be going down."

"Me neither. But we'll be alright. I've trained for this."

"You've trained for plane crashes?"

"You haven't?"

"Not like this. Just how to dive with a parachute."

"It's gonna be fine G. We're gonna survive this G."

Callen hoped Zoya was right, he had no interest in dying in plane crash.

They were going down really fast. The pilots did everything they could to keep the plane steady and make a 'safe' water landing. There was a huge shock as the plane hit the water. Everyone jumped up from their seats. Luckily they stayed afloat. The flight attendants quickly got up and started with the slides so the passengers could get out.

"You okay G?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, I think. You?"

"I'm fine. I'll go see if I can help them."

"I'll come with you," Callen said, not wanting to let his wife out of his sight.

Zoya got up from her seat and walked to the flight attendants. "Can I help you with anything?"

"How familiar are you with these things?"

"I'm a federal agent, I've had some training with plane crashes. Can you get into the cargo hold from here?"

"Yeah of course, what do you need the cargo hold for?"

"You start with evacuating the passengers. We'll take as much luggage out as we can, we can use that perhaps to help the authorities find us. Maybe there are some other things down there we can use as well."

"Okay, I guess."

"Alright everyone, we've set up the floaters, please grab your luggage from the overhead bins and come to the front door. There might be something in your luggage we can use to survive. Try to stay as calm as possible. The plane is not going down yet, we're floating."

One of the flight attendants opened the cargo hold and Callen and Zoya went in. They pulled up as many suitcases as they could as the flight crew was busy getting the people out. Through a slide the people went out into the water and climbed into a flotation device. There were enough flotation devices for everyone. The flight attendants helped Callen and Zoya with the luggage. They put some luggage in each floater. There was still one flotation device left once all the passengers were off the plane. The rest of the luggage they placed in that flotation device. Callen and Zoya looked through the cupboards to see if there maybe was something they could use. They grabbed as much food and drinks as they could and put those in the floater too. Once everything was in Callen and Zoya got in the flotation device and after them the flight crew. They were floating out on the ocean. They were drifting on the ocean, somewhere in the Atlantic. The weather had cleared and the sun was shining.

"Our radios had broken down so we couldn't radio in the last part but we were able to radio in, they knew we were in distress," one of the pilots spoke.

"Do you have binoculars and a map?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah, they should be in here."

The pilot looked through his pack and handed Zoya a pair of binoculars. Zoya looked around to see if she could maybe spot an island somewhere. She looked at the map and the pilot showed her where they were, approximately, but it didn't appear that there was an island close by. Closest was Bermuda, but that was still a lot of miles away. Suddenly she spotted seagulls. Birds usually mean land. She followed the birds and saw something, what appeared to be land.

"There, that seems like land," Zoya called.

She handed the binoculars to Callen who handed them to the pilot after viewing.

"How do we get there?" One of the flight attendants asked. "This isn't a rowing boat."

Zoya and Callen looked through the stuff they had managed to get off the plane. Besides the luggage they had taken some other things as well. They had some rope so they could tie the flotation devices together. Now they just needed some kinds of pedals. Callen had broken some of the crates that were in the cargo hold, which were made of wood. They could use the panels to pedal. Zoya secured the rope to the flotation device and they pedaled closer to the other flotation device. Zoya tied the rope to that floater too and told them what the plan was. The other passengers were scared out of their minds but they wanted to get off the sea so they followed Zoya's and Callen's lead. Callen handed them the panels and told them to pass them on to the other floaters and to also tie the rope. Once the floater was tied someone put their hand up to signal that they were tied. Once all the floaters were tied they started paddling, the floater with Callen and Zoya up front. Slowly they started making distance. The piece of land was coming closer, it appeared to be an island or something. It took them about an hour to get there. Callen, Zoya and the flight crew helped the others out of their floaters and carried the luggage out. Everyone came to collect their bags.

"Now what?" A male passenger came up to Callen and Zoya. "We can't stay here forever."

"No, but we're at least out of the sea. We'll figure something out," Callen spoke.

"Thank you for getting us here," another passenger spoke. "At least we're off the ocean."

"Everyone! Gather round please!" Zoya called. Everyone came around them. "Look, I know you're all scared after what happened but we'll get out of this, we'll all go home in the end. We're on land now and we'll figure out a way to get word to someone who can save us. First, is anyone seriously hurt, other than aches?" No's were heard around the crowd but no yes. "Alright good. Second, does anyone have any cell service here?"

Everyone grabbed their cell phones but no one had any service.

"Anyone have a sat phone perhaps?"

No one had a sat phone. "Maybe there's one in the emergency kit," the pilot spoke. The pilot looked through the kit but there wasn't a sat phone in it.

"What is in the kit that we can use?"

"To let people know where we are? Just a flare gun."

Alright Zoya, improvise. How can we get a signal out? The flare gun could work but only if someone was nearby.

"Okay, go look for some wood, we can make a fire then. Hopefully it'll be big enough that someone will see it. Does someone have a small mirror or something?"

"Is this okay?" One of the women spoke after looking through her bag.

"Yes that's perfect. Now, we need some wood."

Everyone walked into the woods to search for some wood. Zoya went to start the fire. She grabbed her bag and tore some pages out of a magazine. She put some grass and small twigs with it to start the fire. She held the mirror so the sun was shining on it and she angled it down to the ground. The heat caused the papers and grass to burn. Zoya blew a bit to get the fire started. The fire started as people were bringing her wood. Zoya put the wood on the fire. Within no time they had a nice fire.

"Well, Mrs. Wilderness, where did you learn all this?" Callen asked.

"I was a girl's scout."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yeah I was, for about six years."

"Hmmm, nice. Comes in handy now."

"That fire isn't big enough," one of the passengers spoke.

"I know, I'm working on it." Zoya turned to one of the flight attendants. "Could you grab all the alcohol we managed to get off the plane?"

The flight attendants went to the floaters and grabbed all the alcoholic beverages they could find.

"What do you need these for?" The flight attendant asked.

"I'm gonna throw them on the fire. It will get bigger that way."

"You're gonna throw it on the fire?"

"Yes, don't worry."

Everyone took a few steps back and Zoya threw the bottles on the fire. Few explosions were heard but the fire became bigger with a nice smoke signal.

"Now hoping someone sees it," Zoya said.

"Is there anything else we can do?" One of the passengers asked.

"I don't think so. But don't worry, we'll all be going home. Now, we need some shelter from the sun." Zoya noticed that there were a few bamboo trees. "Grab some bamboo and some big leaves we can use for a roof."

Everyone went to search again. Within no time they had some bamboo poles and some leaves already. Zoya and Callen went to build the shelter. Zoya grabbed the ropes they had used to tie the floaters together. She put the bamboo sticks in the ground and tied them together at the top and bottom, creating a wall. It took them a few hours but they had three shelters. They used some beach towels from the luggage as doors. The rest of the towels they used to put on the ground so they could lay on them.

"Not bad," one of the male passengers spoke. "You are girl's scout?"

"Yes I was," Zoya answered.

"Well, it comes in handy now, I don't know what we would do without you."

"We'll all get out of here, I promise."

They all sat around on the beach and the flight attendants came by to hand out sandwiches and drinks that they had taken from the plane.

"Well this isn't how I expected our honeymoon would end," Callen said to Zoya.

"No me neither. For a moment there I really thought we weren't gonna make it."

"Yeah, luckily we didn't sink to the bottom of the ocean."

"Yeah, luckily. I just hope we'll get out of here soon."

"Yeah me too, but as they pilot said, they knew we were in trouble so I'm sure that if they don't hear from us again they'll come looking."

"Yeah but the nearest population is god knows how many miles away, it can take forever before they find us."

"With your smoke signal they will find us."

"Let's hope so."

Callen and Zoya looked around, parents were trying to keep their kids busy with games and such. Other people were just trying to relax on the sand. The first panic had gone down a bit, they were all just glad to be alive and off the sea. Now it was just hoping that someone would find them here.

A few hours after they had put the fire on the pilot sent up a red flare, hoping someone would see it. He looked out over the water with his binoculars but he didn't see anything on the horizon.

Zoya looked through hers and Callen's stuff, trying to see if something was there. If only they had a working phone or something, they could get a message out to OPS and they would find them. Their phones had no service whatsoever, neither had their iPad and they didn't have one of those flash drives with them that they used to get the techs access to the computer. The pilots did have a radio with them but it wasn't working out here. They had no way of contacting the outside world so they would just have to survive here until someone would find them. Hopefully someone was looking for the plane. Zoya look out to the ocean, the plane was still floating, which was good because that was big and someone would spot it.

Just after six Zoya made a fire so they could heat up some food. Zoya made a small fire and put a frame around it so they could hang something up over it. They had taken some poles of the luggage carts in the cargo hold, she used those for the frame. They had found some wire in the plane so they had taken that with them too and they also had some sort of bowl. Zoya put the wires around the bowl and hung it op above the frame. Zoya grabbed some bottles of water and put them in the bowl so it could warm up. Once it had boiled the flight attendants helped Zoya fill up the cups of noodles and passed them around. Everyone got a cup of noodles. They had different flavors of noodles and luckily the plane was well stocked so they had enough for everyone. They sat around the fire and ate their noodles. They all got something to drink as well.

It was getting dark and there was still no sign of anyone approaching the island. The pilot send up another red flare, hoping someone would see it. With no hope of getting rescued anytime soon everyone went inside the shelters to try and get some sleep. Zoya and Callen stayed onside the shelter, on the lookout. They took the first shift. They flight crew would take the other shifts.

"Hopefully someone will find us soon," Zoya told Callen.

"Yeah I hope so too. But I'm sure with you here we will survive."

"My girl's scout training is coming in handy right now."

"Yeah it is. Thankfully. I would be able to survive too I'm sure, but it's good to have someone with survival skills here. Plus the training we had for our jobs, that comes in handy now too."

"Yeah it does. But we're in the middle of the Atlantic, no one really comes here."

"True, but we should have landed at LAX by now so I'm sure someone is looking for our plane and they will find us here."

"Yeah, we'll just make a new fire tomorrow so they hopefully will see the smoke."

Zoya and Callen sat out watching and looked out to the ocean, in the hopes to spot someone. A few hours later the pilots came to relieve them. Zoya and Callen went into the shelter and tried to get some sleep. The next morning everyone was up early. The flight attendants prepared some breakfast and handed it out. After breakfast Zoya and some others went to make a fire again, hoping that someone would spot it. Swimsuits came out of the suitcases and the kids played around in the water. Despite them just having been through a plane crash and being stuck on a deserted island, everyone was making the best of it. Zoya and Callen took some pictures to capture their time on the deserted island.

"Hey guys," the pilot suddenly called. "I think I see something on the horizon."


	24. Chapter 24

"What do you see?" Callen asked.

"It seems like a ship or something."

"Can I look?" Zoya asked. The pilot handed the binoculars to Zoya. Zoya looked through them and spotted the ship. "That's a DDG."

"A DD what?" One of the flight attendants asked.

"A DDG, it's a guided missile destroyer. It's Navy." Zoya looked at the rest of the ship. "And they are flying the American flag. Hopefully they spot us."

Zoya looked at the fire and made it a little bigger so they could easier spot it and the pilot sent up another red flare. Now it was hoping that the ship would see that.

..

"XO, portside watch just spotted a smoke signal and a red flare," a sailor spoke to the XO.

The XO walked to the deck where the portside lookout was. "What did you see sailor?"

"I spotted a smoke signal and a red flare. I looked in that direction and noticed people on the beach, it appears that they are stranded there. Over there sir." The sailor pointed.

The XO grabbed the binoculars and looked into the direction the sailor had pointed. He saw people standing there on the island and they were waving towards the ship. The XO walked back into the bridge. "Gator, which island is that?"

The ship's navigator looked at the map. "It's not on the map sir."

"OOD, set a course for the island."

"Yes sir."

..

"They are turning towards the island," Zoya spoke.

A wave of relief was heard throughout the passengers. They watched as the ship came closer to the island. A little later two smaller boats approached the island.

"Thank you for responding to our distress signal," the pilot spoke as the sailors stepped onto the island.

"Captain Nathan James, US Navy. You guys are stranded on the island?"

"Yeah, we had a plane crash on our way back to LA. Fortunately we were able to get out of the plane and we managed to get to the island. We had no way to contact anyway so we just waited for someone to find out. Luckily we spotted you sailing by."

"Well, let's get you to the ship. We're heading back home to Norfolk. You can go home from there."

"Thank you sir."

"We don't have room for everyone on board the ribs so we'll have to make a few trips up and down."

"We still have the floaters, we can tie them together and you can tow us. Would that work?"

"I guess so."

The sailors went to tie the floaters together and divided them over the two ribs. Everyone grabbed their stuff and it was loaded into the floaters and ribs. Once everyone and everything was loaded the ribs took off and went back to the ship. Once at the ship a crate was lowered to put the luggage and stuff in. Small kids and elderly people who couldn't climb the ladder were also put in the crate. The others climbed on board via a rope ladder. Once everyone was up the ribs were pulled up, as were the floaters. Everyone was happy to be off the island and heading home.

"Welcome aboard the USS Arizona," the captain address the passengers and flight crew. "We'll make you at home as much as possible but the ship is not equipped for this many people extra. We still have about a day before we're in Norfolk. You can head home from there. We'll put together some beds in the helicopter bay so you can sleep there tonight. My crew will make sure you get access to the bathrooms so you can freshen up."

"Can we contact home?" One of the passengers asked.

"You should have cell service on the ship so you can call home. Please make yourselves at home but bear in mind that this is a US Navy ship so try not to be in the way of my crew. We'll be home soon enough."

The captain and the pilot walked off and everyone pulled out their cellphones to see if they could call home. Zoya grabbed her phone and dialed her parents' number.

"Zoya, is that you? Are you okay?" Vera answered the phone.

"Hey mom, yes me and G are both okay."

"Thank god. We were so worried about you. We heard about your plane going down but we didn't know anything more."

"Yeah our plane went down over the Atlantic, luckily we stayed afloat so we could get off the plane. We found a deserted island and we managed to survive there. We're aboard a US Navy ship right now. We spotted it sailing by and luckily they spotted us. We're heading back to Norfolk and from there we'll head back to LA."

"Okay, we're just glad that both of you are alright. We were going out of our minds. We were so afraid you hadn't survived."

"We're both fine mom. It'll take about a day before we're in Norfolk and then we have to fly back to LA. I'll call you again when we're in Norfolk."

"That's fine sweetie. I'm just glad both of you are alright."

"We're both fine mom and we'll see you soon."

"Yeah see you soon. Bye sweetie."

"Bye mom."

In the meantime Callen had contacted Sam.

"G? Are you okay man? What happened?"

"Hey Sam, yeah we're okay. We were in a plane crash in the Atlantic. We managed to get off the plane and survived on a deserted island nearby. We just got picked up by a DDG sailing by. We're heading to Norfolk now."

"Okay that's good. Hetty had heard what happened and she contacted us. Eric and Nell tried to look for you but we couldn't find you. Glad to hear you're both okay. When will you be back?"

"It's about a day until we're in Norfolk and then we'll fly to LA."

"Alright, we'll good to know you're both okay. I'll inform the others that you are safe."

"Thanks Sam."

"See you later G."

"Yeah see you."

Zoya had contacted her office as well. The pilot had gotten in touch with LAX to let them know that they were alright and heading back home. The ship's crew was busy putting fold-out beds ready for the passengers in the helicopter bay. Other crew members came by to hand out numbers. The numbers were for the order the people could get freshened up. They were told to go easy on the water. They had separate numbers for the men and women.

"We can share a shower," Zoya said when a sailor approached them. "It'll safe water."

"Alright, that's fine."

One by one the passengers went to the bathrooms. Young kids shared the bathroom with either their mom or their dad. When it was Zoya's turn Callen followed her to the women's bathroom. They had both taken their toiletries and clean clothes with them. The crew had put towels available for them. Callen and Zoya undressed and stepped underneath the shower together. It felt nice to be under a hot shower and wash the island dirt off of them. They washed their hair and bodies before stepping out. They dried off and got dressed again before heading back. They lounged around the helicopter bay or on the helicopter deck. Everyone was relieved to be off the island and heading home. Callen and Zoya were looking out over the ocean when a sailor approached them.

"Excuse me," the sailor spoke to them. "The captain would like a word with you."

"About what?" Callen wondered.

"He wants to talk to you about the plane crash."

"Okay, I guess."

Callen and Zoya followed the sailor inside. They were lead to a sort of meeting room.

"Thank you Danny," the captain told the sailor and Danny left. "Please have a seat." Callen and Zoya sat down. "So, the pilot told me you are a federal agent," the captain spoke to Zoya.

"Yes, we both are. NCIS," Zoya replied.

"Ah NCIS, that's nice. The pilot told me that without you two they might not have survived the crash."

"We were just doing what we could, I used to be a girl scout so that came in handy. We were lucky enough to stay afloat so we could get out and then lucky enough to find the island."

"From home they asked me to conduct an investigation into the crash, just standard protocol. What can you tell me about what happened?"

"We were above the Atlantic," Callen spoke. "We suddenly felt the plane shake. At first we thought it was just a bit of turbulence but the plane shook harder again. We heard the pilot then over the coms saying that there was a thunderstorm up ahead and that he was going to fly around it."

"After the plane shook I thought I could see some smoke coming from the wing," Zoya continued. "I thought we got hit by the thunder. The plane shook harder a little later and that's when we went down. According to the pilot the storm changed course and we were right in the middle of it."

"Do you really think it was unexpected that the storm changed course or did the pilot deliberately steered into the storm?" The captain asked.

"As far as I could tell it was unexpected. I didn't get a vibe of the pilot or co-pilot that it was deliberate."

"No, me neither," Callen added.

"We felt the plane make a curve to the left to fly around the storm. As we were going down I felt that the pilot did everything he could to ensure a safe landing and once we were on the island everyone tried to help in surviving. Do you think it was deliberate?"

"No, I'm just confirming the story that the flight crew told me," the captain spoke. "Just standard procedure. They wanted me to get the facts in case they wouldn't be able to recover the black box. Thank you for your time."

"You're welcome," Callen and Zoya responded.

"Do you need someone to escort you back to the helicopter bay?"

"No, we can find our way. Thank you," Zoya replied.

"Been on a DDG before?"

"No not a DDG. I was a special agent afloat for a while on an aircraft carrier so I know my way around a ship."

"I've been on an aircraft carrier a few times," Callen said.

"Ah that's good."

Callen and Zoya went back to the other passengers. Around dinner time the flight crew went into the kitchen and prepared food for everyone. They still had the food that they had taken off the plane. The passengers sat in the mess deck to eat. Everyone was pretty tired so they went to get some sleep early. Callen and Zoya had pushed their beds together.

"You comfortable honey?" Callen asked as they crawled into bed.

"As comfortable as I can be on a fold-out bed. You?"

"I'm good. Just glad to be going home."

"Yeah me too."

Callen crawled a bit closer to Zoya and gave her a kiss. "Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight baby."

They were awake early the next morning. Somewhere in the afternoon they would be in Norfolk. The pilot had arranged for a plane to be waiting for them in Norfolk so they could fly home.

Just past 2pm they were pulling up in the Navy harbor of the Norfolk base. As they pulled up they noticed some reporters and camera crews standing there, probably to film them coming home. Since Callen and Zoya were both with a secret NCIS team they couldn't be caught on camera or give interviews. Luckily the captain was already ahead of them. He didn't want the passengers to be swarmed by reporters after everything they had been through.

"Welcome back to Norfolk sir," a sailor greeted him.

"It's good to be back but let's clear the reporters. Our extra passengers don't need this kind of immediate attention."

"Yes sir."

The sailors went to work to clear the reporters. Once the reporters had been cleared the passengers exited the ship and got into the shuttle vans that were already waiting for them. As they drove to the airport they noticed cars following their vans with reporters in it. Zoya closed the curtain a bit so they wouldn't be caught on camera. They were brought to the plane in the vans. Luckily the reporter cars couldn't go with them. The ground crew loaded their luggage into the plane as the passengers went up the stairs into the plane. It was the same type of plane they had before so they had the same seating. Once all the passengers were in the plane the reporters could come a little bit closer. Callen and several other passengers closed the shades in front of the windows. Once all the luggage was in the plane and everything was ready for lift-off the reporters were pushed back so the plane could taxi. A little later they flew up in the air. It would take about seven and a half hours before they would be back in LA. Normally there were no direct flights from Norfolk to LAX but considering the circumstances there was this time. Before going up the air Zoya quickly called her mom saying they were in Norfolk.

…

"Ethan, get over here. There's something about Zoya and Grisha on TV," Vera called from the couch.

Vera and Ethan watched the news on the TV.

"About an hour ago the passengers of the Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to LAX stepped onto the mainland in Norfolk, Virginia, right here behind me in the navy harbor," the reporter spoke. "The plan disappeared somewhere over the Atlantic earlier this week. It is not clear how the plane went down but according to reports they got stuck in a thunderstorm and the plane was struck by lightning. We haven't been able to speak to anyone of the plane yet so it's not clear how they survived the crash but the pilot did have contact with the airport in Los Angeles and he confirmed that all passengers are unharmed. A Navy ship picked the passengers up and transported them back to Norfolk. All passengers are on their way back to LAX as we speak. Hopefully we'll have more information when they land back in LA. We were able to shoot a bit when the passengers arrived."

They showed the footage of the Navy ship arriving and then the vans on route to the airport and footage of the airport leaving Norfolk.

"Thank you Jimmy," the newsreader spoke. "We'll keep you up to date on the developments but for now we know that all passengers of the flight are safe and unharmed and that they are on their way back to LA. We'll try to get some stories from the passengers or the flight crew once they are back in LA."

…

It was late in the afternoon when the plane landed back at LAX. Everyone was happy to be back home again. Everyone thanked Callen and Zoya for helping them survive on the island and they thanked the flight crew as well. Through a tunnel they exited the plane. They went to baggage claim and waited for the luggage. Since there probably would be reporters at the exit Callen and Zoya used one of the side exits. They went to the car and drove home. It was good to be back in LA again. They were glad they had survived the plane crash.

"Aaaah, it's good to be home again," Zoya spoke as they walked into the house.

"Yeah it's good to home again."

Zoya's parents had taken care of the house while they were away. Zoya called her parents to say that they were home and Callen called Sam. Zoya's parents were coming by shortly. Callen and Zoya went to put their luggage away and freshened up. Just as they were done Vera and Ethan were at the door.

"Thank god you're alright Zoya," Vera spoke as she hugged her daughter.

"We're both fine mom."

Vera went to hug Callen and Zoya got a hug from her father as well. Zoya made them some coffee and they sat in the living room.

"What happened out there exactly?" Ethan asked.

Callen and Zoya told them what had happened.

"Well it was quite a thing you went through. You must have been afraid when the plane went down," Vera said.

"Yeah for a moment we thought we were gonna die," Zoya replied. "Luckily everything turned out fine and no one got hurt. We all managed to get off the plane and onto the island. Some had some bruises but nothing serious, thankfully."

"Well enough about the plane crash, how was the honeymoon?"

"It was perfect. The island is so beautiful. We went to three different hotels. They were all so beautiful and the water was so crystal clear. The people there were all very friendly. We had private villas. In two hotels we had a water villa, we could swim into the ocean from our deck and we also had a small pool on the deck. In the last hotel we had a private honeymoon villa with a nice swimming pool in our backyard."

Zoya pulled out the camera and plugged it into the TV. Together they watched the pictures Callen and Zoya had taken.

"Wow, it's really beautiful there," Vera stated.

"Yeah it's was the perfect location for a honeymoon. We had some days of rest but we did quite a few things as well."

Vera and Ethan stayed for a little while longer before going back home. Callen and Zoya ordered in pizza and watched the news.

"Earlier today the passengers of the Etihad flight that went missing over the Atlantic arrived safely in the harbor of Norfolk from there they flew back home. At LAX was our correspondent Lex Johnson when the passengers arrived."

"Around 5pm the passengers of the Etihad flight that crashed over the Atlantic arrived safely back at LAX," the video was narrated as they saw the passengers arrived. A little later they saw a microphone in the screen. They wanted to interview some passengers. "Sir, may I ask you a question." A man stepped in front of the camera. "What exactly happened out there?"

"We were above the Atlantic when we got into a thunderstorm, we got hit by lightning and our plane went down. We were lucky enough to get off the plane thanks to quick action of the flight crew, the plane stayed afloat so we could get off. Two passengers reacted quickly and got our luggage and other things, like food and drinks. We had no idea how long we would have to survive. We were out on the ocean in our floaters and luckily we spot an island. Thanks to the same two passengers we managed to survive there. I have no idea who they are but they saved our lives so thank you for that."

The reporter spoke to a few more passengers and all said the same and all thanked Callen and Zoya for saving them.

"Well as you can hear there were two passengers on board that had quick thinking and their quick thinking helped everyone survive on the island. We haven't been able to speak to these two passengers so we don't know who they are but it's clear that they are the heroes of this plane crash."

Callen and Zoya listed to the interviews. The passengers were very grateful to them. They just relaxed around the house before going to bed.

"My own bed feels good again," Zoya said as she lay down on the bed.

"Yeah it does," Callen spoke as he crawled in next to her. Callen rolled over to Zoya's side and lay on top of her. "It's good to be home again, especially after everything that happened."

"Yeah it is. I'm glad we survived."

"Me too."

Callen lowered his head and kissed Zoya. His hands roamed over her body and pulled her pajamas off. Zoya moaned loudly as Callen started pleasuring her. Once she had come down from her high she flipped them around and pleasured Callen. Just as Callen was about to reach his peak Zoya stopped and straddled him, taking him fully. As soon as Zoya sank down on him Callen came. Callen turned them around so he was on top and they made love for a while before going to sleep.

The next morning they were woken up by Zoya's phone ringing. It was just after 10am. She saw it was her mom.

"Hi mom," Zoya answered her phone.

"Hey Zoya, I just got a call from the hospital. David and his family have gotten in a car accident and they said it didn't look good."


	25. Chapter 25

"What? What happened? Are they okay?" Zoya asked, sitting upright in the bed. Callen was now fully awake too and looked at his wife, wondering what was going on.

"I don't know. I just got the call from the hospital. Your dad and I are going there now."

"Alright. Where are they?"

"Cedars-Sinai."

"Alright. We'll meet you there." Zoya hung up the phone and jumped out of the bed.

"What's going on?" Callen asked.

"That was my mom, David and his family have gotten into an accident. They are in the hospital right now."

"Oh my god, are they okay?"

"I don't know."

Zoya was getting dressed as she spoke.

"I'll come with you," Callen said and he got dressed as well.

After getting dressed they went to the hospital. They went into the ER and found Zoya's parents waiting there.

"What's going on mom? Have you heard something?"

"No, they are still in with the doctors. They won't tell us anything."

"Well at least it's good that they are still in with the doctor I suppose."

About an hour later a doctor walked into the waiting room. "Foster family?" He called.

Ethan, Vera, Zoya and Callen stood up.

"Do you have any news doctor?" Vera asked.

"I'm the doctor who treated the little girl, Maya. We took her for a scan and examined her thoroughly. She has some bruises and a broken wrist, but it's a clean break so we already put a cast around her wrist. She did hit her head so she has a small concussion, but she should be fine."

"What about her parents?" Ethan asked.

"I didn't treat them but they have both been taken up to surgery. You can wait there and I'll tell the doctor you're there."

"What about Maya?" Zoya asked. "Can we see her?"

"She's still asleep right now but yes you can see her. I can take you to her room."

"We'll go stay with Maya," Zoya told her parents. "You go wait for David and Emma."

"Alright," Vera replied.

Vera and Ethan went to the surgical floor as the doctor took Zoya and Callen to Maya's room.

"What is your connection to Maya?" The doctor asked.

"We're her aunt and uncle and I'm her godmother," Zoya answered. "How long till she wakes up doctor?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure but I think in a few hours."

"Thank you doctor." Zoya and Callen walked into Maya's room and set next to her bed. "I hope David and Emma will be okay today."

"Yeah me too. It's quite a week for your parents, first you and me go missing with our airplane and now David and his family were in a car accident."

"Yeah, not the best week. But we came out okay let's just hope they will too."

About two hours later Maya started to wake up.

"Hey Maya, it's aunt Zoya and uncle Grisha here," Zoya softly spoke as Maya opened her eyes.

"Aunt Zoya?" Maya spoke softly. "What happened?"

"Do you remember what happened sweetie?"

"Mommy, daddy and I were in the car, we were going to the beach. Then suddenly I heard mommy scream something, I don't remember much after that."

"You were in a car accident. You're in the hospital right now. You're gonna be okay sweetie."

"What about mom and dad? Are they okay?"

"The doctor is still taking care of them but they should be fine. The doctor is taking very good care of them."

Maya noticed the cast around her wrist. "What happened to my wrist?"

"You broke it during the accident, but don't worry, the doctor said it will heal nicely."

"My head also hurts."

"Yeah, the doctor said you hit your head. You have a little concussion, but you'll be fine sweetie." Zoya sat down next to Maya on the bed and wrapped her arm around Maya. "It's all gonna be fine sweetie."

They sat there for a while until Zoya noticed a doctor standing in the doorway and he gestured her to come outside.

"I'll be right back Maya," Zoya spoke and gave Maya a soft kiss on her head. Zoya walked outside and closed the door to Maya's room. "What's going on doctor? Do you have an update on her parents?"

"Yeah, unfortunately her mother didn't make it. Her injuries were too severe and she died on the table. I'm sorry."

"Oh no," Zoya gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "What about her dad?"

"He had a rough surgery but he made it through. He's still in critical condition and it's not looking good but we're doing everything we can. Do you want me to tell Maya?"

"No, I will tell her doctor. Thank you."

"Again my condolences and we'll keep you updated on her father's condition."

"Thank you doctor."

The doctor left. Zoya took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes before back into the room.

"Aunt Zoya, is everything okay?" Maya asked as Zoya walked back into the room. "Did they doctor say something about my mom and dad?"

"Yes he did," Zoya spoke as she sat in front of Maya on the bed. "Your mom and dad were both very injured. The doctors took them into surgery to help fix them. Your dad is out of surgery but he's is still very sick. They are keeping him asleep for now and are watching him very closely."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I don't know sweetie, but the doctors are taking very good care of him."

"What about mom?"

"Your mom was very badly injured in the accident. The doctors worked very hard on fixing her but she was too badly injured. They couldn't fix her anymore. I'm very sorry Maya but you're mommy has died."

"Mommy is dead?" Maya asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes she is, I'm sorry sweetie."

"NOOOO!" Maya yelled. "She can't be dead!" Maya jumped out of the bed and wanted to run away. Zoya stopped her and picked her up. "NO! Let go, I want mommy."

"You can't go to mommy Maya." Zoya sat down on the bed with Maya in her arms and tried to calm her down. "It's gonna be okay Maya. I'm here for you. It's gonna be okay Maya."

"I want mommy," Maya sobbed.

"I know sweetie, I know."

Zoya rocked back and forth trying to calm her down. Eventually Maya calmed down.

"Mommy really gone?" Maya asked.

"I'm afraid so sweetie, I'm really sorry."

"Will daddy be okay?"

"I don't know sweetie, he's still very sick but the doctors are taking very good care of him."

"Can you stay here with me aunt Zoya?"

"Of course Maya. Uncle Grisha and me are both here."

Zoya sat down against the headend of the bed with Maya on her lap. A little later Zoya noticed that Maya had fallen asleep again. Zoya sat there with Maya, afraid she would wake up if she moved.

"I'm gonna go get a coffee," Callen spoke softly. "You want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Callen gave Zoya a soft kiss before leaving the room. He felt really bad for Maya. Her mother was dead and her father was in critical condition. He couldn't help but think back to his own mother being killed right there on the beach with him building sandcastles next to her. At least he had found his father now. He hoped David would be alright, if not he vowed to himself he wouldn't let Maya end up in foster care, no kid deserved that.

Callen and Zoya stayed there with Maya, keeping her company, trying to get her mind off everything that had happened. Callen had gone down to the gift shop and bought a game for Maya. Zoya sat with Maya as they played the game against Callen.

A few hours later Zoya's parents walk in.

"Hey grandma, grandpa," Maya greeted them. Zoya could see that something was wrong. "Grandma, what's wrong?" Maya asked when she noticed that Vera had been crying.

"Did aunt Zoya tell you about mommy?"

"Yeah, mommy gone," Maya replied with a sad voice.

"Yeah unfortunately mommy is gone."

"Where's daddy grandma?"

"That's why we're here. You grandpa and I were just with your daddy."

"Is daddy okay? Can I see him?"

Vera didn't know how to tell her this. Zoya already knew what had happened by looking at her parents.

"Daddy was very badly injured in the car accident. The doctors worked very hard on him to fix him but it wasn't enough. Daddy had come out of surgery but his brain wasn't working anymore. The doctors tried to fix him but they couldn't. I'm really sorry Maya but daddy died."

"Daddy dead too?" Maya asked, crying already.

"Yes, I'm sorry Maya."

Maya crawled up to Zoya, who hugged her tightly, and she started crying. Zoya couldn't help but cry with her too and Vera and Ethan started crying too. Callen couldn't help but cry too.

"I'm really sorry," Callen spoke to Vera and Ethan.

Zoya couldn't believe it, after everything she and Callen been through now this happened. In one day Zoya had lost her brother and sister-in-law and Maya had lost her parents. They all sat there for a while just crying before the doctor walked in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you all but I have some questions for you," the doctor spoke. "Could I speak to you outside please?"

"Aunt Zoya will be right back Maya, I've just gotta go talk to the doctor."

"I'll keep you company," Callen said.

Zoya, Ethan and Vera went outside to talk to the doctor as Callen stayed with Maya.

"Again, I'm very sorry for your loss," the doctor started. "I know this is a tough time but I'd like to talk to you about organ donation, since Mr. Foster is braindead we can still use his organs if you're okay with that. We didn't find a donor card so it's up to you. I understand if you don't want to do it but it could save a lot of lives if you did. You can think about it but not too long."

"We don't need to think about it. We'll do it," Vera spoke and she looked at her husband. "David would want that."

"Yeah he would. We'll do it doctor," Ethan said.

"Alright, I'll go get the paperwork and there's something more if have to ask you. Is there something who can watch Maya? Technically she's an orphan now so if we don't have a legal guardian she would have to go into the system."

"No, she doesn't need to go into the system. Grisha and I can take her, I'm her godmother," Zoya spoke. "I don't know if my brother and sister had a will but I'm her godmother so I'll take her. I'm sure my husband doesn't have a problem with it. We're not letting her go into foster care."

"Alright, that's fine. But if you do take her in, permanently, you have to get that on paper."

"I will doctor."

"Again, I'm terribly sorry for your loss and I'll be back later with the paperwork from the organ donation."

The doctor left and Zoya and her parents went back into the room.

"Everything okay?" Callen answered.

"Yeah, it's fine. He just wanted to go over some things with us."

"Ah okay."

The doctor came by later with the forms. Vera and Ethan both signed them.

"We'll get started soon, after that you are free to take him home so you can arrange the funerals."

"What are they doing, aunt Zoya?" Maya asked.

"The doctor is gonna take some of daddy's organs and give them to other people so they can get better."

"How?"

"Well, it's called a transplant. The doctors take the organ out of daddy and put it in someone else's body. Don't worry sweetie, he's still gonna be daddy."

"What will they take?"

"Some of daddy's organs like his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, bowls, anything they can use for someone else. Daddy will make the other people better again. It's a good thing daddy is doing."

"Can I see mommy and daddy?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea sweetie."

"Please aunt Zoya, I wanna see them."

Zoya looked over to the doctor. "Can she go see them?"

"I'll have them cleaned up and have someone come and get you when she can see them."

"Alright thank you."

With the papers in hand the doctor walked out of the room. A little later a nurse came to get them and took them to David and Emma.

"Now Maya, it will just look like mommy and daddy are sleeping but they can't wake up. Are you sure you wanna go see them?"

"Yes aunt Zoya."

"Alright."

Zoya's other brother and her sister had arrived too. Together they went to see David and Emma. Emma's family was here too. One by one they went into the room. Zoya and Callen took Maya inside. Zoya lifted Maya up so she could give David and Emma a kiss on the head.

"Bye mommy, bye daddy, I'll miss you," Maya spoke crying.

Zoya and Callen couldn't help but cry either and they said goodbye as well. Callen and Zoya took Maya back up to her room. After Zoya's and Emma's parents had said goodbye as well they came upstairs to Maya's room. A little later Maya's doctor stepped into the room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but visiting hours are over so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," the doctor spoke.

"Can we take Maya home?" Vera asked.

"Unfortunately she has to stay here for the night."

"I not go home?" Maya asked.

"No sorry sweetie, you have to stay here tonight."

"Can aunt Zoya stay with me, please?"

"Given the circumstances she can stay here with you today."

"Thank you doctor," Zoya spoke.

Zoya and Callen stayed as the others went back home, everyone numb of all the things that had happened today.

"Aunt Zoya, could you maybe get Elsa for me? I want her with me, I can't sleep without her."

"Sure, I'll go get her. I'll go get some of your stuff. Uncle Grisha will stay here with you, maybe you can beat uncle Callen in the game again."

Zoya gave Maya a soft kiss on her head. She grabbed the keys from David and Emma's belongings.

"G, can I have the keys?"

"Yeah sure." Callen handed her the keys to the car.

"I'm be right back."

Before going down to the car Zoya went to find David and Emma's doctor.

"Excuse me doctor, I'm Zoya Foster, David's sister."

"Oh yes. Is there something I can do for you?"

"I was just wondering about the accident. Do you know how it happened?"

"I don't know exactly how it happened but according to the report another car hit them. The driver of the other car was DOA."

"Do you know where the accident happened?"

"The ambulance that brought her in is from a firehouse in Wilshire, so I guess it happened around there."

"Alright thanks you doctor."

Zoya went down to the car. She sat in the car but she didn't start it. She just sat there and couple help but feel the tears run over her cheeks. She and Callen had survived a plane crash but now Maya had lost her parents because of a car accident, poor Maya. Zoya would do everything she could to take care of Maya and she knew Callen would too. He wouldn't let Maya end up in foster care, after what he went through in foster care he would never let that happen to a kid. Zoya took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She picked up her phone and called LAPD.

"LAPD, Wilshire station, how can I help you?"

"Hello, this is agent Zoya Foster, NCIS. I was wondering if you could help me get some more information about a car accident that occurred earlier today."

"Yeah, do you know where the accident took place?"

"I think on the ten freeway, somewhere before 10am this morning. A family with a young girl, blue BMW."

"Is this a case for the OTA?"

"No, it's personal. The family in the car was my brother and his family."

"Oh I'm sorry. I'll see what I can find and I'll send it to you."

"Thank you."

Zoya hung up and drove to David's house. They lived in Covina. Zoya took the Beverly boulevard towards West Temple street and she went onto Silver lake Boulevard and then onto the Hollywood freeway. A little later this changed into the Santa Ana freeway and then into the San Bernardino freeway. She took exit thirty-seven A and then made a full turn down and underneath the freeway onto North Citrus street. She then took a left onto East Workman Avenue and then right onto South Fircroft Avenue. David and Emma lived here. She parked her car at the house and grabbed some of Maya's stuff before going back to the hospital.

Callen sat on the bed with Maya reading a book to her.

"Uncle Grisha?"

"Yes Maya."

"Now that mommy and daddy are gone, where will I live? Can I still live in my house?"

"I'm afraid not sweetie. I don't know where you will live but I think you'll come with me and Aunt Zoya when you get out of here."

"And school?"

"Well, your aunt Zoya and I live on the other side of LA so I think if you come live with us you have to go to a different school. But don't worry you will make lots of new friends there too."

"I want mommy and daddy," Maya said and she started crying.

"I know sweetie." Callen put the book down and took Maya into his arms. "I know, it's not fair that they are gone. But you still have me and Aunt Zoya and your other aunts and uncles and your grandparents. We'll take care of you, I promise. It's all gonna be okay Maya, I promise."

Callen sat there with Maya on the bed and he noticed she had fallen asleep. Callen sat there afraid to wake her up if he moved. He looked at his watch and wondered where Zoya was. He knew it was about a two hour drive to Covina and back to the hospital but it was almost three hours ago now that she left.


	26. Chapter 26

A half hour later Zoya walked back into the hospital room. She was pleased to see Maya asleep on Callen's lap.

"Hey G," Zoya spoke softly.

"Hey Zoya."

"Sorry I was gone so long. It was hard to be there in the house. I just needed a moment."

"That's alright. I was wondering was taking you so long but I suspected something like this."

"Yeah it was hard being in the house. I still can't believe that they're actually gone."

"I know me neither."

"How did Maya do?"

"I read her a book and we talked a bit. She asked me if she could still life in her house. I told her she couldn't and that she would probably be coming home with us, considering you're her godmother."

"Yeah, I don't know if David and Emma had a will or something but yeah I'm her godmother so if they don't have anyone else listed to take care of Maya we probably will do that. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I think so. She's a sweet girl and I won't let her go into foster care. She doesn't need that after everything that happened and she still has family around her that care about her. She won't go into foster care."

"I'm glad you feel that way cus I don't want her to go into foster care either."

"She won't Zoya, you have my word."

"Okay good."

Zoya placed Maya's plush Elsa in her arms. Callen sat with Maya on the bed as Zoya sat next to the bed. Zoya and Callen stayed in the hospital that night.

The next day Zoya's parents dropped by with David and Emma's attorney.

"Hi, I'm Max Rivers I'm David and Emma's attorney, I'm really sorry for your loss. But I do have to talk to you. I was looking for Zoya Foster, your parents told me you were here."

"Yeah that's me," Zoya replied. "What's this about?"

"David and Emma did have a will in place, in case something should happen to them, and in the will they give full custody of Maya to Zoya Foster and Grisha Callen. Did they discussed that with you two?"

"Well not to that full extant but I am her godmother so it's only logical."

"I do have the papers here with me so if you want to sign them," Max spoke and he pulled the papers out of the briefcase.

Zoya looked at Callen who nodded at her. Zoya looked back at Maya on the bed. Zoya sat down in front of Maya on the bed.

"Maya, is it okay with you that you come live with Uncle Grisha and me?"

"Can I take my stuff with me?"

"Of course you can sweetie, we'll take everything from your room and it will go to our house. You can have your own room there too. I know it's not the same as with mommy and daddy but me and Uncle Grisha will take very good care of you."

"Okay, I guess then."

Zoya pulled Maya in for a hug. "It's all gonna be okay sweetie. We will take very good care of you."

Callen and Zoya both signed the papers. Maya was now officially theirs.

"If you call my office we'll set up an appointment to go over everything," Max spoke as he handed Zoya a card. "Again my condolences."

Max left the room. He had taken the contract with him and Callen and Zoya had a copy of it. Callen stayed in the hospital with Maya as the others when to David and Emma's house to clear it out. Zoya's and Emma's parents were busy with the funeral arrangements. Zoya's brother and sister came to the house as well to help pack everything up. Emma was an only child. Zoya started upstairs in Maya's room. She packed everything into boxes and loaded them in her car. They had rented a truck as well to transport the furniture in. Everything from Maya's room went to Callen and Zoya's house. With the other furniture they would see what they would do. Maybe the new owners of the house wanted them. Some other stuff around the house also went to Callen and Zoya's house so Maya would have some things of her parents, like pictures and such. Once all the stuff was packed up and loaded into the truck they drove to Callen and Zoya's house. They would use the bedroom on the left front of the house as the bedroom for Maya. The previous owners had this as a girl's bedroom as well. The walls were already light pink which was perfect. The bedroom had two windows on the front of the house, one in the corner. On the side of the house was another window, also in the corner. There was a bathroom attached to the bedroom. It had a vanity with mirror, a toilet and a tub/shower. There was a skylight in the roof. They decided to keep all of Maya's stuff and not buy new stuff for her bedroom since this would be familiar for her. Maybe they would buy a few new things but not much. Maya's bed was placed in the corner at the front of the house, underneath the window. The wardrobe they placed along the right wall. Her toy storage closet was placed along the left wall, just behind her bed. The other stuff was placed around the room. They would see later where Maya wanted them. The other stuff of David and Emma they would keep at their house for now too. They would see later what they would do with it. After all the stuff had been unloaded Zoya went back to the hospital as her brother and sister went back to David and Emma's house.

"Hey," Zoya spoke as she walked into the hospital room.

"Hey aunt Zoya," Maya greeted her.

"Did you have fun with uncle Grisha?"

"Yeah, I beat him at the game."

"That's very good. We moved all your stuff over to our house so your room is ready there. It's a beautiful princess bedroom."

"The doctor came by when you were here," Callen said. "She can go home tomorrow."

"Okay that's good."

"Can Esme still come over?" Maya asked.

"Who's Esme?" Zoya asked.

"Esme is my nanny."

"Oh I guess she can still come over to watch you. I will give her a call okay."

"Okay."

Zoya texted her sister to ask if she could find the number for Esme so Zoya could call her. A little later Eva texted back with the number. Zoya momentarily stepped out of the room to call her.

"Hello this is Esme Gregg," Esme answered the phone.

"Hi Esme this is Zoya Foster, David's sister."

"Ah yes hi. Can I help you with something?" Esme asked, wondering why David's sister would call her.

"Well first of all I have some bad news. David, Emma and Maya were in a car accident. Unfortunately David and Emma didn't make it."

"Oh," Esme gasped. "I'm so sorry to hear that, my condolences."

"Thank you."

"And Maya? How is she?"

"She's still in the hospital but she's gonna be okay. Now that her parents aren't here anymore she is coming to live with me and my husband. She asked me if you can still be her nanny."

"Yeah of course. Poor thing. If there's anything I can do let me know."

"Thank you. Can you come by our house next week? I'm gonna ask my boss for another week off so I can be home with Maya."

"Yeah sure I'll be there. What's your address?" Zoya gave Esme her address. "That's in Pacific Palisades right?"

"Yes it is. Is that gonna be a problem with your commute?"

"I live in Covina as well. But I can move closer to you."

"That's not a problem for you? I don't want you to move just because of us."

"Oh no it's not a problem. Before I was Maya's nanny is lived somewhere else as well. I've been a nanny for a while now. Sometimes I had to move for my job. It's not a problem."

"Okay good. We'll even chip in if you need to."

"Thank you but that's not necessary. I have enough that I can rent an apartment for myself."

"The apartments are much more pricy up here than in Covina."

"Thank you for the offer. I'll see if I can find something down there I can afford otherwise I will let you know."

"Alright. So come by the house Monday around 10am."

"Alright, I'll be there. See you then. Tell Maya I said hi."

"I will. Thank you." Zoya hung up and walked back into the hospital room. "Well, good news. Esme is coming too. She will still be your nanny."

"Yay, thanks aunt Zoya."

"You're welcome sweetie." Zoya turned to Callen. "She'll come by the house on Monday so we can meet her."

"Alright that's fine. Don't you have to go back to work again on Monday?"

"I'm gonna ask my boss for another week off. I still have some time owed so."

"Alright. I'll see if maybe I can stay home as well some more, I'm sure Hetty will understand."

Zoya and Callen stayed in the hospital again that night and they took Maya home in the morning. The funeral would be on Sunday. Maya had been in Callen and Zoya's house before so it wasn't 'new' for her. Once home Zoya took Maya upstairs to show her the room.

"So this is your room Maya. We put all the stuff in but we can always put them somewhere else if you don't like it."

Maya looked around the room. It was a nice big room. It looked nice.

"No, this is fine I guess."

Zoya got down to Maya's level and turned her so she was facing her. "I know we're not your mommy and daddy but we are gonna take care of you and we love you. We're gonna be a nice family the three of us. You will be okay here. There are some more kids living in the neighborhood and there's a playground nearby and some schools are close by too so we'll see which one you can go to."

Their neighbors had a little girl as well, she was four years old too and she was at Pacific Palisades elementary charter school so maybe Maya could go there too. She would at least have someone close to home there at school too. They just relaxed around the house, trying to make Maya feel at home as much as they could.

"How about tonight we go eat at McDonald's?" Zoya suggested when it was time for dinner. "Would that be okay Maya?"

"Can I get a happy meal then?" Maya asked.

"Of course you can."

They all got in the car and drove to the McDonalds in Santa Monica. After dinner they went back home and Zoya put Maya in bath. They had to be careful of her cast, it couldn't get way, so Zoya put one of those bags around it and helped Maya wash herself. After bath Zoya put Maya to bed after showing her where their bedroom was should she need them in the middle of the night. Zoya read her a story and tucked her in.

"Goodnight Maya."

"Goodnight aunt Zoya."

"If there's anything, anything at all, you can wake us up."

Zoya gave Maya a kiss before going back downstairs. She joined Callen on the couch.

"Do you think Maya will be okay?" Callen asked.

"Yeah, I think so. She's been through a lot."

"Yeah she has. Losing her parents is hard."

"Yeah." Zoya could tell that Callen's mind was somewhere else. "Thinking about that day on the beach again?"

"Yeah," Callen smiled a bit at her. She knew him so well.

"You grew up an orphan and look at everything you've accomplished. Maya will be just fine, I promise you."

"Yeah she will be. It's crazy, now all of a sudden we have a little kid."

"Yeah we do. It's not our kid but we're still taking care of her."

"Yeah, we may not be her parents but we will do the best we can to take care of her."

"Yes we will. She really is a little cutie."

"Yeah she is."

Callen and Zoya sat on the couch for a while before going up to bed as well.

In the middle of the night they woke up when Maya jumped on their bed.

"Hey Maya, what's wrong?" Zoya asked as Maya crawled into her arms. Zoya wrapped her arms around Maya and tried to calm her down.

"I miss mommy and daddy," Maya cried.

"I know sweetie, we miss them too but me and uncle Grisha are here and we will take of you I promise."

"Can I sleep with you?"

"Of course you can." Zoya placed Maya in between her and Callen. "You can sleep here with me and uncle Grisha tonight."

…

Sunday was the funeral. It was a beautiful service, as far as funerals are beautiful. Zoya spoke a few words and together with Maya she lit the candle. Afterwards they all went to some sort of lounge where people could condole them. After the service they all went to Zoya's parents house and just hung out there before going home after dinner. Once they were home Zoya put Maya to bed. She had fallen asleep in the car.

The next day Callen had to go back to work. Zoya had arranged with her job that she could stay home this week.

"Have a good day today, be careful," Zoya said as Callen was getting dressed.

"I promise." Callen leaned over to Zoya in the bed and gave her a kiss. "Bye honey, I'll see you later tonight. You'll be okay with Maya here?"

"Yeah I'll be fine."

"Alright." Callen gave Zoya one more kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Callen grabbed his bag and went to work.

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen, only Sam was there.

"Morning G, how was your honeymoon?"

"I was just perfect. The Maldives are so beautiful, it was really perfect. Just not the flight back."

"Yeah what exactly happened there?" Callen explained to Sam what had happened. "Yikes, glad you two are okay."

"Yeah me too. But just after we got home we got a phone call saying that Zoya's brother had gotten into a car accident with his family. Unfortunately David and his wife didn't make it so now Zoya and I have a little girl, Maya. She was the ring bearer at our wedding."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. You adopted her?"

"Yeah, Zoya was already her godmother and David did have a will and in the will he left Maya to us."

"Wow that's something. How is she doing?"

"Okay, it's just hard for her. She's asking for her mommy and daddy quite often."

"Yeah I can imagine but it's nice of you two to take her in."

"Yeah, I couldn't let her go into the foster system and neither did Zoya. So now we have a four year old running around the house."

"Wow what?" Deeks spoke as he and Kensi walked in. "Do you and Zoya have a kid?"

"Yeah, Zoya's niece. Her parents died in a car crash so Zoya and I have custody of her now."

"Poor little thing," Kensi remarked.

At that moment Eric whistled. "Vacation is over boys, and girl."

They all walked upstairs and followed Eric into OPS.

"What do we have Eric?" Callen asked.

"This morning a DOD facility here in LA was broken into," Eric said and he showed a footage of the break-in on the big screen.

"Thieves were pros," Callen stated.

"Yeah and they never show their faces on the camera."

"What did they steal?" Sam asked.

"They broke into the server room," Nell responded. "And they made off with a few hard drives."

"What was on the drives?" Kensi wanted to know.

"All of the operatives US has undercover and overseas."

"A lot of groups would pay top dollar for that," Deeks stated.

"Which is why Mr. Deeks," Hetty spoke as her face appeared on the screen. "We need to get it back and fast, we can't let those hard drives fall into the wrong hands. Time is of the essence." Hetty's face disappeared.

"Eric, Nell, see what you can found out about this break-in, maybe they showed their faces somewhere or see what was accessed to gain control."

"Got it," came the reply from the techs.

The four agents left and went to the DOD facility.

..

At home Zoya was getting ready for Esme. Just before 10am the doorbell rang. Zoya went to open it.

"Hi, you must be Esme," Zoya greeted her.

"Yes, that's me and you must be Zoya," Esme replied as he stuck her hand out.

"Yes, nice to meet you." They shook hands. "Come on in."

As soon as Esme walked into the main area Maya came running up to her.

"Esme!" Maya squealed.

"Hey sweetie," Esme said as she got down and gave Maya a hug.

"Mommy and daddy are gone," Maya cried a bit.

"I know sweetie, aunt Zoya told me. But I'm sure your aunt and uncle will take very good care of you and I will here with you too."

"Can I show you my new room?"

"Yes you can."

Zoya walked upstairs with them and Maya showed Esme her room.

"This is a very nice room Maya."

They went back downstairs and sat out on the patio while Maya was coloring next to them. Zoya pored them both a cup of coffee and some lemonade for Maya.

"Again I'm really sorry about what happened," Esme spoke.

"Thanks, it's just hard to believe. We're glad that you are still coming here. It's at least something familiar for Maya."

"Yeah, I'm happy to."

"Have you found a place yet?"

"Yes I have a few sightings up later today."

"Okay good. This afternoon Maya and I are going to check out her new school so she can start that again. It's not that far from here, it's about a fifteen minute walk and three minutes by bike."

"Alright that's fine."

"And there's a playground near here. It's about six minutes by bike."

"Okay that's good."

"Maya did have a bike already so we have that here but we're gonna buy a bike for us a as well with a kid's seat on the back so you can use that too then."

"That's fine."

Zoya just chatted with Esme for a while. She seemed really nice. She had asked her office to look into her. She had also send the office all the information she had gotten from the LAPD about the accident to see if it was just bad luck or it they were targeted. Esme stayed for a while before leaving. She would be back tomorrow at 8am. After lunch Zoya and Maya went to the school to check it out.

..

Callen and the others had arrived at the facility and started looking through everything to see if they could find something that could help them. Suddenly the power went out and the windows shattered.


	27. Chapter 27

The agents watched as the windows shattered. They saw grenades flying in. Everyone quickly dove for cover. The grenades exploded, destroying the building. Once the smoke had cleared the agents got up with their weapons drawn. Carefully they made their way outside but there was no one to be seen.

"You good G?" Sam asked his partner.

"Yeah, I'm good? You?"

"I'm good."

"You okay Kens?" Deeks asked.

"I'm good. You?"

"Good too."

Callen pulled his cell phone out and called Eric.

"Yeah Callen?" Eric answered the phone.

"Eric, look for anyone outside this building just now. Someone just threw grenades into the building."

"Grenades?" Eric replied shocked. "Are you okay?"

"We're all okay Eric, just see if you can find the person who did it."

"On it," came the reply from the tech and Callen hung up.

The team went back inside and looked through what was left. The thieves clearly didn't want anyone to find them. They didn't find much at the facility so they went back to the office.

"Find anything?" Callen asked as Eric came walking down the stairs just as they walked in.

"Not who threw the grenades but I did ID the two thieves. I tracked them from the building and I caught them on a camera a few blocks from the building." Eric typed something on his tablet. "Meet Bogdan Ivanovic and Gavyn Sharov, both are Russian nationals but they have been in US since two thousand and five. They are both persons of interest of various agencies but neither one of them ever found anything to make it stick. They are suspected of having ties with Russian terrorist organizations."

"If they get their hands on our list of operatives…" Callen said.

"The cold war is not so cold anymore," Sam finished.

"Do you know where they are?"

"No, I had them for a while but I lost them," Eric told them.

"Keep looking. Kensi, Deeks, find out what the others have on them. Sam and I will go visit Arkady."

Sam and Callen left to go visit Arkady.

"What can I do for you today my friends?" Arkady greeted them as they walked into the backyard.

"Got two Russian who broke into a DOD facility this morning and made off with some hard drives. They are persons of interest cus they suspect them to have ties to Russian terrorist organizations." Callen showed Arkady the pictures of the two men. "Their names are Bogdan Ivanovic and Gavyn Sharov. You know them?"

"No I don't but I've heard rumors about Russians here in LA working with people back in Russia, bad people. Cold war is not so cold anymore."

"Any idea where they could be hiding out?"

"Heard some things about a warehouse in Inglewood." Arkady gave them the address. "Not sure what they use it for."

"If you hear any more rumors please let us know."

"Will do old friend."

Callen and Sam went back to the office. Callen had sent the address to Eric to have him check it out.

"Any new information?" Callen asked as he and Sam walked back into the bullpen.

"We called the other agencies," Kensi replied. "They have been keeping tabs on these two for a while now but never found anything that stuck. This is not the first time they broke in somewhere. They were arrested a couple of times but they never found the items that they stole."

"What did they steal?" Sam asked.

"At first it was just small stuff," Deeks said. "Some money but then it were weapons, drugs."

"And now they've upgraded to government files," Callen stated.

Eric and Nell came walking down the stairs.

"We looked into the warehouse and the two guys that broke in went there after the break in. No luck on ID'ing the men who threw the grenades yet but they could be here as well."

"Good work, let's gear up," Callen spoke.

They all grabbed their gear and went to the warehouse.

"Any eyes on the warehouse Eric or how many people are in there?" Callen asked over the com.

"No other cameras but according to the heat signatures there are at least ten men inside."

"Copy that."

They moved closer to the building. Kensi and Deeks went to the side entrance as Callen and Sam took the front.

"Move in on my mark," Callen spoke. "Three, two, one."

Sam and Deeks kicked in the doors. "Federal agents!"

They immediately had to duck away from flying bullets. Whenever they could they fired back. Callen saw the two guys that had broken into the DOD facility. After a few minutes of heavy gunfire all the bad guys where down. With their rifles still raised the agents came out from their hideouts. They cleared the weapons and checked them all. All of the men were dead.

"You're bleeding Callen," Kensi remarked.

Callen looked at his arm. He hadn't noticed it but the bullet grazed his upper right arm. "It's just a scratch."

The agents checked the warehouse. They found money, drugs, weapons and the hard drives that they had stolen from the DOD facility. Other agents came to the scene and they tagged and bagged everything. The agents finished up at the scene and went back to the office. Hetty patched Callen's wound up and Callen grabbed a clean shirt from wardrobe. The agents finished up their paperwork before going home.

"Hey Zoya," Callen called into the house.

"Hey G," Zoya called back from the kitchen.

Maya was at the dinner table coloring.

"Hey Maya," Callen said and gave her a soft kiss on her head.

"Hey uncle Grisha."

Callen walked into the kitchen where Zoya was making dinner.

"Hey honey."

Hey babe."

Callen walked up to her and gave her a kiss.

"How was work?"

"It was fine, just the usual. How was your day?"

"It was just fine. Esme was here this morning and in the afternoon we went to check out the school."

"How did Maya do?"

"She did fine. She was a bit shy at school but I think she'll be okay."

"Yeah, it's all new for her. On top of losing her parents she has to go to another neighborhood and another school."

"Yeah it's not easy but the principal was very friendly and so was her teacher. She's in the same class as our little neighbor. For this week we've agreed on just the mornings to have Maya get used to the class."

"Ah yeah, just mornings is probably enough for her right now."

"Yeah probably."

"How was Esme?"

"She was very friendly. I've asked my office to look into her, just to be sure but I think she's okay. Maya really likes her. Esme lived in Covina too but she's looking for an apartment down here so she's closer."

"Ah okay, that's good."

"Could you set the table, dinner is almost ready."

"Of course." Callen grabbed some plates and walked to the table. "Maya could you clear your stuff please? Dinner is almost ready."

"Yes Uncle Grisha."

Maya moved her stuff and went to help Callen with setting the table. After dinner Zoya took Maya upstairs for bath as Callen cleaned up downstairs. After bath Zoya tucked Maya into bed and read her a story.

"Goodnight Maya."

"Goodnight aunt Zoya."

Zoya turned the big light off before going downstairs. Zoya and Callen just relaxed the rest of the evening before going to bed.

"What happened to your arm?" Zoya asked as Callen was getting undressed and she noticed the bandage.

"Oh, it's just a graze, no biggie."

"You got shot at?"

"Yeah, but what else is new. It's just a scratch, don't worry honey."

"Did you get them at least?"

"Of course we did. We got them all and we recovered the things that they had stolen."

"Okay good."

..

Callen wasn't called in early yet the next morning so he went with Zoya to drop Maya off. They went on foot while Maya took her stepping bike. It was only a fifteen minute walk. Maya waited for them on each corner of the street before crossing it. When the bell rang Callen and Zoya took Maya inside to her classroom.

"Hello Maya," Maya's teacher Lily Pearson greeted her.

"Hello Ms. Lily," Maya softly replied.

"Hello, you must be uncle Grisha," the teacher spoke to Callen.

"Yes that's me," Callen replied and shook the teacher's hand.

"Come on Maya," Lily said and took Maya's hand. "Let's go to your seat. Do you remember where it was?" Maya pointed to one of the tables. "Yes, very good Maya."

Lily took Maya over to her table and sat her down. Maya waved to Callen and Zoya.

"Bye Maya, Esme and me are coming to pick you up at noon okay."

"Bye Maya."

Callen and Zoya went back home and Callen went to work. Zoya just relaxed around the house. Just before 11.30am Esme arrived and they both walked to Maya's school. They waited outside until the teacher came out with the class.

"Hey Maya," Zoya spoke when Maya walked up to them.

"Hey aunt Zoya, hey Esme."

"Hey Maya, how was school?" Esme asked.

"It was fine, I was teacher's helper."

"That's nice."

"I'm just gonna go ask the teacher how she did," Zoya said and she walked towards the teacher.

"Oh hi Mrs. Foster," Lily greeted her.

"Hi Ms. Pearson, how did Maya do?"

"Oh she did just fine. She's a sweet girl. She was a great little helper today. It was all still a bit new to her but she did very well. We talked a bit about what happened in class so the other kids understood too. She cried a few times saying she missed mommy and daddy but other than that it went fine."

"Okay good. I'll see you tomorrow again."

"Yeah see you."

Zoya, Esme and Maya walked home and had lunch. After lunch they played a game before going to the playground. Zoya sat on the bench as Esme played with Maya. Zoya could see that Maya really liked Esme and Esme was good with her. Zoya watched them play as her phone rang. It was Keira, the intelligence analyst from her office.

"Hey Keira," Zoya answered the phone.

"Hey Zoya, you got a sec?"

"Yeah it's fine. What's up?"

"Well first of all I'm sorry for what happened to your brother and sister-in-law. How's the little girl?"

"Thank you. She is fine. It's a bit hard for her but it's fine. Have you found anything?"

"Yes. I checked Esme out but she's fine. Not even a parking ticket. She has been working as a nanny for about twenty years already and all the people she worked with speak highly of her."

"Okay that's good. Anything on the accident?"

"Yeah we checked into that and the driver that hit them but we couldn't find anything on him. No connections to any terrorist group or anything, nothing. We checked everything thoroughly but it really appears like just a bad accident, they weren't targeted."

"Okay good. Thank you."

"When will you be back?"

"Next week."

"Okay, see you then."

"Alright, thank you."

Zoya hung up the phone. She went to play with Maya as well. They stayed at the park for a while before going back home. Just as they walked up to the house Callen pulled up.

"Hey uncle Grisha," Maya called and ran up to him.

"Hey sweetie," Callen spoke as he picked her up. "Where did you go huh?"

"We went to the playground, I swung from the monkey bars."

"That's great."

Callen put Maya on the ground as Zoya and Esme approached.

"Hi, you must be Esme," Callen greeted her and shook her hand. "I'm Grisha."

"Hi Grisha, it's nice to meet you."

They all walked inside. Esme stayed over for dinner.

"Have you been able to find an apartment here already?" Zoya asked.

"Yes I have. In the apartment building Temescal view apartments. It's on West Sunset Boulevard here in Pacific Palisades. It's on the other side of Maya's school."

"Ah okay that's good. And pricewise? It is okay?"

"Yes it's fine. I can afford it."

"Okay that's good."

After dinner Esme went back home.

….

Maya was getting settled in with Callen and Zoya. It was hard sometimes and she missed mommy and daddy but she was doing very fine. She had made some friends at school already. It was all a bit new to Callen and Zoya but they did the best they could.

That Saturday Callen and Zoya took Maya to the store to buy some new stuff for her. David and Emma did have some toys for outside and they had a big swing set but it was secured so they left that one at the old house.

They drove to Kmart, they looked at the sets they had for outside play.

"Look around and tell us what you want Maya," Zoya spoke to her.

They bought a backyard discovery prestige wood swing set. It had a slide with covered fort, two swings, a swing bar and a little picnic bench. They also bought a upper bounce 10" trampoline with enclosure set, two little tikes pink garden chairs, a just kidz castle play tent and a step 2 kids duck pond splash water table. They also bought some toys for in the pool. A pink air mattress and a rainbow unicorn pool ride-on.

"Aunt Zoya, can I have this?" Maya asked as she held a package in her hand.

Zoya took it and looked at it. It was a little Disney's frozen kingdom. "Yeah sure you can have that."

"Yay!" Maya cheered.

With everything in the cart they walked to the register. They could take everything with them already. Callen put everything into the car before they drove home. Once home Callen and Zoya went to install the toys. They put the swing set on the left side of the grass, with the side with the picnic table against the fence. The trampoline they but just in front of the grass on the left side and the other things were placed around the yard or on the grass. Maya helped a little bit too with putting everything together. Callen made sure everything was secure before Maya could go on it.

Once everything was installed Callen went to home depot. Now that Maya was staying with them they needed a fence for the pool. Maya had swimming lessons already but she couldn't swim by herself or without floaties yet. Callen picked out a few Cedar-tone colored pressure-treated pine pool fence kit with aluminum pickets with a gate.

While Callen was gone Zoya had ordered a Cyclone fun in-ground pool slide, a Flyte stand and Fibre drive diving board combination and a Scupper waterfall for in-ground pools.

Once Callen was home he went to set up the fence. The things for the pool would be delivered at home and the workers would install them.

Everything was taken care now with David and Emma's things. The house had been sold already and the money that David and Emma had was now in Callen and Zoya's name but on a separate account. They would only use this for Maya. Some of the money Callen and Zoya had put on an account so they could buy stuff for Maya and the rest of the money had been put on the account David and Emma already had for Maya. Luckily David and Emma had a great attorney and a very detailed will so it was all done with very fast.

Sunday the family just relaxed around the house.

"Aunt Zoya, can I go in the pool?" Maya asked in the afternoon.

"Sure."

Zoya took Maya upstairs and they both changed into their swim suits. Zoya put Maya's floaties on and rubbed them both with sun screen. Callen had inflated the pool rider in the meantime. Zoya put Maya on the pool rider and got in the water herself. Callen went to grab the camera and took some pictures of them before joining in himself. They had fun in the pool. Zoya went out around 5.30pm to get started on dinner.

..

Zoya had to go back to work the next morning. Esme was at the house just after 8am.

"Be a good girl for Esme today okay," Zoya told Maya.

"I will aunt Zoya."

"Okay good. Esme has my phone number so she can always call me if you need me. Have fun at school and I will see you later tonight."

Zoya and Callen both gave Maya a kiss before they went to work.

"Have a good day today honey," Callen told his wife as they were walking to their cars.

"I will, you too. Be safe."

"Always, you too."

"Always."

They gave each other a kiss before they got in their cars and drove to work.

It was a slow day for Callen and the others. They had a case but they managed to solve it pretty quickly so they just worked on their paperwork or on some old cases. It was just past 3pm when Callen's phone beeped. Callen looked at his phone and noticed he had a text message from Zoya.

'Hey honey, I have to go undercover for work. Don't know how long.'

Callen hated it when his wife had to go undercover but he knew it was part of her job as it was of his. 'Alright, be safe out there.'

'Will you be okay with Maya? I don't know how long I'll be gone.'

'We'll be fine honey. Don't worry about us. Just focus on the case. I've got it covered at home.'

'Okay, I wished it wouldn't have to go undercover but I have to. I'm the only one who can do this.'

'It's okay honey. Don't worry about Maya and me. We can handle ourselves.'

'Alright. I love you.'

'I love you too. Be safe.'

'I will, bye Grisha.'

'Bye Zoya.'

"Everything okay?" Sam asked once Callen put his phone away.

"Yeah, just Zoya. She has to go undercover, doesn't know how long."

"Ah okay, yeah that sucks. Will you be okay with Maya on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Alright, if you need anything you can always call me."

"Thanks Sam but I'll be fine."

It was just past 5.30pm when Callen walked into the house.

"Hey Maya, hey Esme," Callen greeted.

"Hey," Maya and Esme greeted back. They were playing a game at the dinner table.

"Who's winning?"

"I am," Maya replied.

"Of course you are. Are you staying for dinner Esme?"

"No, thank you. I have an appointment this evening."

"Alright."

Once the game was over Esme grabbed her stuff and said goodbye. A little later Callen and Maya sat down to eat.

"Where's aunt Zoya?" Maya asked.

"Aunt Zoya is stuck at work. She had to stay late."

"Will she be back before I go to sleep?"

"No I don't think so. She had a meeting out of town."

"Oh okay," Maya replied with a sad face.

"But don't worry Maya, I'm still here."

After dinner Callen took her upstairs for bath. He let her play with her water toys for a while before washing her hair. He dried her off and dressed her for bed. He tucked her in and read her a story before going back downstairs.

Callen had just gotten into bed when he heard a scream coming from Maya's room.


	28. Chapter 28

Callen jumped out of bed and ran to Maya's room. He found Maya sitting upright in her bed, crying.

"Maya, what's wrong sweetie?" Callen asked as he walked over to the bed. Callen sat down on the bed and Maya crawled on his lap. Callen wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "What's wrong sweetie? It's okay, uncle Grisha is here, you're okay."

"I miss mommy and daddy," Maya sobbed.

"I know Maya, I miss them too. It's not fair that they are gone but you're safe here with me and aunt Zoya. We'll take very good care of you. I'll tell you what, aunt Zoya is not here right now so why don't you come and sleep with me in the big bed. Do you want that?"

Maya nodded. Callen stood up with Maya in his arms.

"Wait, uncle Grisha, my Elsa."

Callen went back to the bed and picked the Elsa plush doll up. With Maya in his arms he walked back to the bedroom. Callen put Maya on Zoya's side of the bed and tucked her in before getting in himself again.

"Uncle Grisha will be right here next to you okay. Just go back to sleep."

Callen gave Maya a soft kiss on her head and lay down next to her. Maya snuggled up to her Elsa doll and fell asleep a little later again. Callen lay awake for a while. He hoped Zoya would be back soon. He wasn't an expert at being a father figure. Sure he had spent some time with Sam's kids but he wasn't a parent for them, but now he and Zoya would have to raise Maya. Callen loved Maya but he was new to this whole father thing. A little later Callen fell asleep too. He was woken up by his alarm the next morning. He quickly turned it off so it wouldn't wake up Maya. Quietly he slipped out of the bed and grabbed a shower.

"Maya, sweetie, it's time to wake up," Callen woke her up just past 7.30am. "It's time for school."

Slowly Maya woke up. Callen took her to her bedroom and got her dressed for the day. Callen dressed her in a dress with a grey top with a light blue glitter heart on it and a light blue, grey and pink plaid skirt with a pink belt with a heart buckle.

"What do you want with your hair?"

"Pony tail and then braids."

Callen grabbed the brush and started doing her hair. He was actually quite pleased with himself on how it turned out. Together with Maya he walked downstairs.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!"

"Alright, pancakes coming up."

Callen went to the kitchen as Maya sat at the dinner table coloring. A little later Callen bought her some pancakes. As Maya was eating the doorbell rang. Callen went to open and it was Esme.

"Hey Maya," Esme greeted her.

"Hey Esme."

"Oh pancakes, lucky you."

"Can you take Maya to school?" Callen asked Esme.

"Yeah of course. Zoya not here?"

"No, she got called into a last minute out of town business trip. She had to go to some kind of conference or something and it was in her field so she had to go."

"Ah okay. Don't worry, I'll take Maya to school."

"Thank you." Callen grabbed his stuff. "Bye Maya, be good to Esme and have fun at school. Uncle Grisha will see you later today."

"Bye uncle Grisha."

Callen gave Maya a soft kiss on her head before he left for work.

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen, only Sam was there.

"Morning, any news from Zoya?"

"No, nothing yet."

"How did it go with Maya?"

"It was just fine. She did woke up screaming in the middle of the night. So I took her back to my bedroom and she slept in the big bed with me. She misses her parents but she's adjusting nicely. The teacher said she did really well in school last week so she's going full days to school now. We'll see how it goes, otherwise we'll keep her at home in the afternoon. I just hope Zoya is back soon, I don't really have that much experience with being a father figure."

"I know Maya is younger than Kamran but you do great with Kamran. Kamran loves her uncle G and I'm sure Maya does too."

"Yeah but I don't have to raise Kam, I can just be her cool uncle. But Maya is living with us and Zoya and me are responsible for her and on top of everything she has just lost her parents. She's still young but she does understand what has happened."

"It's tough but she's got a good place with you and Zoya. She's with family."

"Zoya and I have thought about kids but I always thought if it would happen I would have some time to prepare but now all of a sudden we have a four year old in the house."

"You'll be fine G. I always thought you would make a great father and you will."

"Thanks Sam."

It was just before 6pm when Callen stepped into the house.

"Hey," Callen called into the house but there was no reply. He walked into the house and found Maya and Esme outside. "Hey," Callen called again as he walked down the stairs.

"Hey," Maya and Esme replied.

They were playing a game of bowling in the backyard.

"Wow, you're pretty good at this Maya."

"Thank you, uncle Grisha," Maya replied with a smile.

Callen took his phone out and took a few pictures of Maya and Esme playing bowling before going inside to prepare dinner as Esme and Maya finished their game. A little later Esme and Maya came inside. Esme stayed for dinner since Callen had to go to Maya's school this evening. There was a parent-teacher evening.

"So what are these information things like?" Callen asked Esme as they were having dinner.

"You just get some info about what the school year's gonna be, the things the kids will learn, school events, that sort of stuff."

"Ah okay."

Callen cleaned up after dinner as Esme when to put Maya in bath. When it was time to leave Callen walked upstairs.

"Alright, I'm off. I'll see you later Maya."

"Will you come tuck me in uncle Grisha?"

"Of course I will. Be a good girl for Esme and go to sleep when she tells you too okay."

"I will."

"Alright."

Callen gave Maya a soft kiss on her head before he left. Callen went to Maya's school and sat there in the classroom listening to what the teacher had to say. The whole thing lasted for about an hour. Callen went back home. Esme was sitting on the couch watching some TV.

"Hey Esme," Callen greeted her.

"Hey Grisha, how did it go?"

"It was just fine. Just some information about the class and we got a school calendar for Maya's class. How did it go here?"

"Very well, Maya's asleep. She fell straight asleep."

"Okay good. Thank you for staying longer."

"It's no problem."

Callen showed Esme out and went upstairs to check on Maya. She was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

….

It was now Friday and Zoya still wasn't home from her undercover job. Callen hoped everything was still going fine. He had called Zoya's office and asked them for an update. They couldn't give out specifics but they said Zoya was doing fine and then was working on getting the case fixed. Callen hoped Zoya would be home soon. He liked having Maya around and she was a sweet girl but sometimes Callen was at a loss.

"Uncle Grisha, when will aunt Zoya be home?" Maya asked as they were having dinner.

"I don't know. She didn't know how long her business trip would last but I'm sure she'll be home soon."

Since it was Saturday tomorrow Maya could stay up a little later. Callen and Maya played a game of Frozen memory after dinner. Callen let Maya win the game. After the game was finished Callen went to put Maya in bath and then bed.

"Goodnight Maya."

"Goodnight uncle Grisha."

Callen gave her a soft kiss and tucked her in before going downstairs. Callen went to clean up some of Maya's things and did some laundry. The rest of the evening he just relaxed in front of the TV. When he was about to go upstairs for the night he heard the front door open. His gun was upstairs in the safe so he didn't have it with him. He moved to the wall next to the door, ready to strike at whoever was coming in. Callen stood there ready when the door opened. He was about to strike when he saw it was Zoya.

"G, geez you startled me. I saw everything was dark already so I figured you were in bed already."

"Sorry honey, I didn't know you'd be coming home. But it's good to see you again."

Callen wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her closer.

"It's good to see you too, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

Callen moved closer to Zoya and kissed her. He was so happy that she was home safe and sound again. Callen picked her up and Zoya automatically wrapped her legs around him. All kissing Callen walked them upstairs.

"Wait, let me go check on Maya first," Zoya spoke as they reached the top floor.

Callen put Zoya back down on the ground. Zoya walked to Maya's room as Callen walked to their bedroom. Zoya smiled as she walked into the room. Maya was sleeping peacefully, snuggled up to her Elsa doll. Zoya gave her a soft kiss and tucked her in. Zoya went back to the bedroom and locked the door. Callen was already lying on the bed in just his boxers. Seductively Zoya took her clothes off and straddled Callen's lap.

"Did the case go fine?" Callen asked.

"Yes, all taken care off but no shop talk right now. I just wanna make love to my husband."

"Your husband has no problem with that," Callen replied with a smirk.

Zoya kissed him again and Callen rolled them over so he was on top. Callen was so happy to have his wife in his arms again. He always worried about her when she was off on a case. He was glad that she was alright and safely back in his arms. They made love for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms, after getting dressed and unlocking the door.

Around 8.30am the next morning Maya came storming into their bedroom.

"Aunt Zoya!" Maya squealed when she saw Zoya.

"Hey sweetie."

Maya crawled onto the bed and on Zoya's lap. Zoya gave her a big hug.

"I've missed you aunt Zoya."

"I've missed you too sweetie. Did you have a good time with uncle Grisha and Esme?"

"Yes I did. Uncle Grisha made me pancakes."

"Oh lucky you. I have an idea, why don't the three of us go do something nice today?"

"Like what?"

"Go somewhere, something nice for the three of us. Would you like that?"

"Where will we go?"

"It's a surprise but I'm sure you'll love it. Okay?"

"Alright."

"Alright, go get dressed then, we'll leave after breakfast."

Before Zoya even finished speaking Maya was on her way to her bedroom already.

"I told you she would love it," Zoya spoke to Callen.

"Yeah you did."

Callen and Zoya got dressed too and they all had breakfast. Zoya packed a bag for them. Just past 9am they left. Callen pulled out of the driveway and went left. He then took a right onto Via de la paz and then a left onto De Pauw street which changed over into the Radcliffe avenue. After a while he took a left onto Bowdoin street and then a straight left again onto Temescal Canyon road. He followed this road until they were at the end of the road. He then took a left onto the Pacific Coast highway. He stayed on this road and it changed over in the Santa Monica freeway. He then took the exit towards Long Beach down the road and got on the San Diego freeway. A little later he took the exit towards Norwalk. They were now on the Century freeway/Glenn Anderson freeway. They followed this freeway until they came at the exit for Long Beach. Callen took the exit and they were now on the Long Beach freeway. He then took the exit for the 91 freeway east and they came on the Artesia freeway. The next exit he took was the exit towards Santa Ana and they came on the Santa Ana freeway. He then took the exit towards Disneyland drive. They followed the signs for where to park.

"Disney!" Maya squealed as she saw the Disney signs down the road.

"Yeah we're going to Disneyland, if that's okay."

"Yeah, I love Disney."

They rented a nice Disney stroller for Maya before entering the park. Mickey and Minnie stood at the entrance and greeted the guests. Maya went to have her picture taken with them. They took a few pictures at the Partner statue. Someone even took a picture of the three of them together. They went left first. The first attraction was the enchanted Tiki room. After the show was over they walked further. They next ride was the jungle cruise. They parked the stroller near the entrance and went to stand in line. When it was their turn Zoya got in first and helped Maya in. Maya sat on Zoya's lap as they sailed across the river. There was a guide on board as they sailed past several islands and told them what they could see there.

"Big monkeys aunt Zoya," Maya spoke when they saw the gorillas.

"Yeah that are gorillas."

"Elephant having a bath," Maya laughed.

The ride lasted for about seven minutes. Callen got out first and helped Maya out. They retrieved the stroller. They walked further and came across Indiana Jones Adventure but Maya was too small for this so they walked further. They reached Tarzan's treehouse. They all went inside here.

"Maya, hold onto the railings okay," Zoya told her.

They walked across the treehouse and Zoya took a few pictures. When they were finished they walked further.

"Aunt Zoya, can I go in there?" Maya asked pointing to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

"Sure, if you want to."

"Yeah, I went in there with mommy and daddy too."

"Alright then."

They parked the stroller and went to stand in line. When it was their turn they took place in the cart. After the ride was over they walked further.

"Do you wanna go in the haunted mansion?" Callen asked.

"No, I don't like haunted mansion. What's there uncle Grisha?" Maya pointed to the island.

Callen looked on the map. "That's the pirate's lair on Tom Sawyer island but it's closed."

"Why is it close?"

"They are fixing it."

They walked further and went to stand in line at the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Next they went to Splash mountain. Maya was just high enough to enter. Zoya held onto her as they enjoyed the ride. They all got a little wet, but not too much. They sat down for lunch at the hungry bear restaurant after the ride. They sat there for about a half an hour before continuing. They walked back the way they came since this was a dead end and they went to the other side. Around the Tom Sawyer island everything was closed for maintenance. They went into the big thunder mountain railroad. Maya was just high enough to enter. She sat in between Callen and Zoya.

"What's this Aunt Zoya?" Maya asked as they walked further.

Zoya looked on the map. "It's Frontierland shootin exposition, you have to shoot at things here with a gun. Do you want to go in there?"

"No, I don't like guns."

Next they went to the sleeping beauty castle. Maya loved it, she felt like a princess in the castle. They bought a few souvenirs for Maya at the gift shop. Next they went to snow white's scary adventures and after that Peter Pan's flight. They went into Pinocchio's daring journey, King Arthur's carousel, Mr. Toad's wild road, Casey Jr. circus train and Dumbo the flying elephant. Maya pulled them over to mad tea party.

"Do you wanna go in there G? These things always make me nauseous."

"Yeah sure, come on Maya."

Zoya sat on the bench just outside the ride as Callen and Maya went to stand in line. Once they were in a tea pot Zoya took some pictures of them. They went into Alice in Wonderland after that and then in the Storybook land canal boats. Once they were out Zoya looked at her watch. It was almost 6pm which meant it was time to leave.

"Come on Maya, we have to go home," Zoya said.

"But we haven't done everything yet," Maya pouted.

"I know, but we have a surprise for you."


	29. Chapter 29

"Surprise? What kind of surprise?" Maya asked excited.

"You'll see. Come on."

They walked to the Disneyland monorail in Tomorrowland and got on. About thirteen minutes later they were at the downtown Disney district. They got off the monorail and walked towards the Disneyland hotel.

"We're gonna stay here tonight so we can do the rest of the park tomorrow," Zoya told Maya.

"Really? We're gonna stay here?!" Maya asked happily.

"Yes, if that's alright with you."

"Of course." Maya gave Zoya a big hug. "Thank you aunt Zoya."

Callen quickly went to the car to retrieve their bags. They had put the car near the hotel already. They walked inside and checked in. The hotel was decorated with purple things inside. With their suitcases and key card to the room they stood in the elevator. They took the elevator all the way to the top floor. They were staying in a Fairy tale suite. Everything in the room was fairy tale themed. The bedrooms had a big four poster bed with drapes. On the walls hung paintings and pictures of Disney princess and princesses. The bathroom was beautiful white with a big tub with a painting of a castle above it.

"OH MY GOD! This is amazing!" Maya squealed as she went to explore the room. "Thank you aunt Zoya, thank you uncle Grisha."

They put their stuff away and went downstairs to get dinner. They went to Tangaroa Terrace. They all grabbed the Hawaiian cheeseburger with French fries as main course. Maya had chocolate milk and Zoya and Callen had lemonade. As dessert Maya had Mickey's ice cream bar and Zoya and Callen had chocolate cake. After dinner they went back upstairs. Zoya put Maya in bath and then in bed.

"Thank you for this aunt Zoya, I really like this."

"You're welcome sweetie, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Now go to sleep, we get up early in the morning so we can go to the park again."

"Goodnight aunt Zoya."

"Goodnight Maya."

Zoya gave Maya a soft kiss before she left the room. Zoya and Callen stayed in the main room for a while before going to bed as well. The next morning they woke up at 7.30am. After getting dressed they went down to Goofy's kitchen to have breakfast. Maya had Mickey Mouse waffles and a juice box while Zoya had French toast with mocha and Callen had bacon with cappuccino. During the breakfast Goofy and Pluto walked into the dining area. Maya had her picture taken with Goofy and Pluto.

They had already taken their backpack down with them so after breakfast they went straight to the monorail. They took the monorail to Tomorrowland, they would start here today anyways. They got out of the monorail and went to Finding Nemo's submarine voyage which was right underneath the monorail. Callen went in first and then helped Maya down before Zoya got in. They went to find a spot. They looked at all the beautiful things underwater before getting out. Next they went to Autopia. They all got in one car together. Callen pulled Maya onto his lap so they could drive together. Callen did the gas and brakes and together with Maya he steered. Zoya sat next to them and took a picture of them driving together. After this they went to Space mountain, Maya was just high enough to go in there. Maya sat in a cart next to Zoya and Callen sat in a cart behind them. Maya was really loving it. Maya wasn't into Star Wars so they didn't do those things. They went to Buzz Lightyear's astro blaster before going in the Astro orbitor. Zoya went in together with Maya. Callen stayed on the side and took a few pictures of them. They walked over the main plaza and went right again, in directing of the Matterhorn. At the picture spot they took a picture with the Matterhorn in the background. They went into the alley leading to Pixie Hollow. Here they met up with Tinker Bell. A photographer took a picture of Maya and Tinker Bell and Zoya bought the picture. They walked past the Matterhorn on the right side and they went to stand in line at the Matterhorn bobsleds. After the ride they walked further to It's a small world. Maya really loved this ride. After It's a small world they went to the Fantasyland theatre where a Mickey Mouse show was being performed. The show last for about twenty minutes. It was really funny. They walked further into Mickey's toontown. They first went to have lunch at Clarabella's. Maya ordered a turkey sandwich with chocolate milk, Zoya had fruit salad with hot cocoa and Callen took chef's salad with coffee. After their lunch had gone down they went further. They went to Minnie's house and met with Minnie. Zoya took a picture of Maya with Minnie. It was so cute since Maya was dressed as Minnie as well. Next to went next door to Mickey's house and met with Mickey. Again Zoya took a picture of Maya with Mickey. They went to Chip 'n Dale treehouse next. They climbed the treehouse and even met with Chip 'n Dale. They were so funny. Chip even grabbed Maya's Minnie ears and put them on his ear. Zoya was filming it as Maya tried to get them back.

"Chip is Minnie too," Maya giggled to Zoya.

A little later Chip bowed down so Maya could take the ears back. Next they went to Gadget's go coaster and after that to Donald's boat where they met Donald Duck. After that they went to Goofy's playhouse and they saw Goofy again. As last they went to Roger Rabbit's car toon spin. In the shop they bought some souvenirs before going to the railroad just outside of Mickey's toontown. They took the train back to the entrance of the park. They went across the street to Disney California adventure. They took the trolley to the first stop. They went into the street on the right and went to Soarin' around the world. They saw some of the most beautiful places in the world. Next they went to Grizzly river run. They got a little bit wet but the weather was nice so they were dried up soon. Next they went into Redwood creek challenge trail. They went over all kind of obstacles. Sometimes Callen and Zoya went with Maya, other times they let her do it herself. They helped her few times and took some pictures. They went to The Little mermaid next and then to the Golden Zephyr. In the Seaside souvenir shop they bought some souvenirs. They also went to Jumpin' jellyfish, Goofy's sky school and Silly symphony swings. As they walked further from the swings they bumped into some characters from Toy Story. Maya had her picture taken and Zoya bought it. They went into Mickey's fun wheel, did some games at the Games of the boardwalk, went into Toy Story midway mania and King Triton's carousel. There was a big roller coaster there, California screamin', but Maya wasn't tall enough to go in there. They walked over the lake and went right, past the water. They went to a bug's land area next and got in Princess Dot puddle park, Heimlich's chew chew train, Tuck and roll drive 'em buggies, Francis' ladybug boogie and Flik's flyers. They went to see Frozen the musical just before 6pm. They met with some superheroes in Hollywood land. They went into Monsters, Inc and saw Olaf from Frozen. It was 7.30pm when they exited the park. They decided to walk back to the hotel so they could grab some dinner. They had some snacks before going into the Frozen musical already so they didn't need to eat much. They went to eat at Taqueria at Tortilla Jo's. They all had a burrito for dinner. After dinner they stopped by the Lego store, which was across the street and bought some Lego Friends for Maya. They went to the parking lot. Callen already had put their bags in the car and they had checked out already before leaving this morning. They quickly went to the bathroom before going home. Zoya changed Maya into her pajama already so they wouldn't have to do that at home since Maya would probably fall asleep in the car. Zoya strapped Maya in her booster seat and pulled a blanket over her.

"Thank you for this weekend," Maya spoke.

"You're welcome sweetie."

Zoya and Callen got in the car as well and they pulled out of the parking lot. Callen made a right from the parking lot onto Magic way and then a left onto Disneyland Drive. He got on the ramp for the Santa Ana Freeway. Before they were even on the freeway Maya had already fallen asleep. Callen followed the signs for Los Angeles. He followed the Santa Ana Freeway until they came at the intersection with Santa Monica. He followed the signs for Santa Monica onto the Santa Monica Freeway. He continued to follow the signs for Santa Monica. He followed the Santa Monica Freeway and it went over in the Pacific Coast Highway. He drove over the Pacific Coast Highway and took a right towards Pacific Palisades onto Chautauqua Boulevard. He followed the Boulevard and took a left onto Sunset Boulevard. He took another left onto La Cruz Drive and another left onto North Swarthmore Avenue. As last he took a left onto West Friends Street and pulled up to their house.

Zoya quietly took Maya out of her booster seat and took her upstairs to her room. Maya stirred a bit but she slept through as Zoya tucked Maya in.

"She had fun this weekend," Callen spoke to Zoya as they sat on the couch.

"Yeah, I thought she would like it. It was nice to see a smile on her face. It's nice for her to have some fun after everything that has happened."

"Yeah it is. It was a nice idea of you to go there."

"I'm just glad we all got to go together. I'm glad I was off on time to go with you guys."

"Yeah me too. It was really nice. I've actually never been there often. Just once."

"You've only been to Disneyland once?" Zoya asked surprised.

"Yeah. It's okay, I don't mind. When I was in group homes or an orphanage we never went anywhere and in the foster homes I stayed at we hardly ever did anything fun or at least not me."

"I'm sorry. Was it with the Rostoff's you went to Disneyland?"

"Yeah it was. They took me and Alina there for a few days. We stayed at one of the hotels. It wasn't as big then as it's now but it was still very nice. It was so nice to be there with Alina. She and I did all kind of fun things. I took her on a lot of the rides. It was really nice. Have you been there often?"

"Yeah a few times when I was a kid. But I haven't been there in the last few years. It has changed since I was there last. Maybe we can take Maya there more often, it's not that far from here."

"Yeah that would be nice."

Callen and Zoya stayed downstairs for a while before going up to bed as well.

The next morning Esme arrived just after 8am.

"Esme!" Maya squealed when Esme walked into the main room and Maya ran up to her to give her a big hug.

"Hey sweetie, did you have a good weekend?"

"Yes I did. Aunt Zoya and uncle Grisha took me to Disney."

"Oh they did? Lucky you. Did you have fun?"

"Yes it was very fun. I slept in princess room."

"Oh that's very nice."

"Hey Esme," Zoya called as she came down the stairs.

"Hey Zoya, you're back from your business trip? Grisha said you had some kind of conference or something."

"Yeah, it was a last minute thing and I had to go there but I'm glad to be home again."

Callen and Zoya grabbed their stuff and left for work. A little later Esme took Maya to school. Maya took her new Elsa doll she had gotten at Disney to school with her.

…

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen.

"Morning," Kensi, Deeks and Sam replied.

"Zoya back yet?" Sam asked.

"Yeah she came back late Friday night, everything went fine and in the weekend we took Maya to Disneyland."

"Oh I bet she loved that."

"Yeah she did and we stayed at one of the hotels there. It was really nice. She really loved it."

They were interrupted by Eric's whistling.

"You hear the shrill you know the drill," Eric spoke and he walked back up to OPS, knowing the others would follow him.

"What do we have Eric?" Callen asked as they walked into OPS.

The four agents took their places in front of the table and waited for the briefing from the wonder twins.

"This morning the LAPD did a routine traffic stop, checking the drivers and their cars," Eric started. "At the checkpoint in Culver City, this happened."

Eric typed a few keys in on his tablet and a video appeared on the screen. The agents watched the video intensely. They saw the LAPD doing standard checkups and such. They saw a man get antsy as he approached the officers. The police seemed to have spotted it and asked to search the car. Reluctantly the man agreed to it. The officers searched the car and seemed to spot something in the trunk. When the man realized that they saw what was in his trunk he got out of the car and ran.

"The LAPD chased him but lost him. They put an APB out on him," Nell spoke.

"What does this have to do with us?" Callen asked.

"Because of what they found inside the trunk they sent the case over to us," Nell continued and showed the agents some pics of the trunk.

The agents saw the body of a dead man lying in the trunk and he was dressed in Navy whites.

"Any ID on this guy?" Sam asked.

"He was ID'd as Lucas Harrison, he is a staff sergeant at Camp Pendleton."

"Any ID on our driver?" Kensi asked.

"No, not yet," Eric answered. "Police didn't find any kind of ID in the car, no hits on facial reg yet and the finger prints LAPD pulled off the car aren't in the system."

"Harrison have any family? Anything on his service record?" Callen asked.

"Yes, a wife, a daughter and a son, they live in San Clemente. Address is on your phones. And his service record is clean."

"Thanks. Kens, Deeks, talk to the family, see if they know if Harrison was into something illegal or something."

"You want us to drive to San Clemente?" Deeks moped. "It's more than an hour drive."

"Come on Deeks, it's not that bad," Kensi spoke. "If you behave nice I may even let you drive back." Kensi walked out of OPS and Deeks followed her.

"But it's an hour drive and there's probably gonna be a lot of traffic," Deeks spoke just before the doors of OPS closed again.

"Well at least I don't have to listen to his moping all the way to San Clemente," Callen joked. Callen turned back to Eric and Nell. "Where's the car now?"

"LAPD impound yard."

"Alright, Sam and I will check it out. You two see if you can find our mystery driver or get an ID on him. Also look if you can find if Harrison was involved in something he shouldn't be, something that could have gotten him killed."

"On it," Nell responded.

The two older men left and the two techs sat behind their computers and started typing. Sam and Callen got in the challenger and Sam drove them to the LAPD impound yard. They showed their badges to the LAPD officers and asked where the car was. The officer showed them to the car. Callen and Sam walked up to the car and put their gloves on.

"How did Harrison get involved in this?" Callen asked as they were looking through the car. "A sailor with no service record from San Clemente is found dead in a car driving through Los Angeles? It makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't and why hasn't his family reported him missing?"

"Maybe Kensi and Deeks can find that out or maybe she did to the San Clemente PD but they didn't do anything about it just yet cus it hasn't been forty-eight hours."

"Maybe the wonder twins can find out what Harrison was up to."

"Got a cell phone here," Callen spoke as he looked through the trunk. "It's still on so maybe Eric and Nell can get something off of it."

With the phone in a bag Callen and Sam went back to the office. Callen went upstairs and handed the phone to Eric.

"Any news here?" Callen asked.

"Still looking, will let you know when we find something."

Callen went back downstairs. Callen and Sam just sat around in the bullpen working on their paperwork waiting for an update. Three hours after they had left Kensi and Deeks walked back into the bullpen.

"Anything from the family?" Callen asked.

"Mrs. Harrison reported her husband missing last night to the SCPD put since it hasn't been forty-eight hours they didn't act on it yet," Kensi answered. "But according to her he was involved in anything illegal. He was a model marine and he had no problems with anyone. They weren't having marriage of financial problems. She couldn't think of a reason why he would be found dead in the back of the car. We showed her the picture of our mystery driver but she didn't recognize him."

"She had talked to the people at the base as well but they said he left last night around 8pm," Deeks added. "He hasn't been home since then."

"So 8pm he left the base and then the morning he shows up dead inside a trunk of car around 8am in Culver City. What happened for those twelve hours in between?" Callen spoke.

"We can maybe help with that," Eric spoke as he and Nell came down the stairs. "We checked the cell phone you guys found and according to the GPS. He got on the San Diego Freeway and got off at the exit for Avenue Presido, San Clemente. They live near that exit. But he didn't drive to his house. He pulled into one of the parking lots there. We just checked the parking lot and his car is still there. The GPS signal stayed in that spot for a while but then it moved. Via traffic cams we were able to find the car and it was the same car our victim was found in in LA." Eric put the camera footage on the screen.

"We tracked his GPS signal from there and it went back on the San Diego Freeway towards Los Angeles. It went to somewhere in South Gate," Nell continued. "The signal stayed there until early this morning before moving towards Culver City. We checked the signal and it was an empty warehouse with no cameras pointed at the entrance. Address is on your phones."

"Good work, let's gear up."

They all grabbed their gear and went to the warehouse. They pulled up to the warehouse but it appeared to be abandoned just like Nell said. With their weapons they made their way towards the entrance. They cleared the building but no one seemed to be there. They looked around the building to see if they could find any evidence. Suddenly they heard some noise and before they knew it the building was on fire.


	30. Chapter 30

"Everyone out!" Sam yelled.

As quickly as they could the agents got out of the building. Near Kensi and Deeks was an emergency so they used that. Near Callen and Sam wasn't an emergency exit so they jumped through the window. Kensi and Deeks spotted someone running away from the building so they ran after him. Callen and Sam saw it so they quickly got in Sam's car. Sam cut him off and both he and Callen got out of the car with their weapons drawn. It was the driver from the car they found Harrison in.

"Federal agents! Stay right there!" Sam yelled.

The man looked around him and saw Kensi and Deeks coming in from the other side, weapons drawn as well. Realizing he had no way out he got down on the ground with his hands behind his head. Deeks walked up to him and cuffed him. He and Kensi took him to the boatshed as Callen and Sam went back to the warehouse to see if they could find something.

The firemen were already on the scene and had taken out the fire. Once it was clear the partners went into the warehouse to investigate. Some places were burned so they couldn't find anything there anymore.

"Sam, over here," Callen suddenly called.

"What's up G?" Sam asked as he walked into Callen's direction.

"Seems like Harrison was kept here and they tortured him for information."

"So if they kept him here and tortured him, why transport him all the way to Culver City?"

"According to the ME he died last night, so they kept him here all night and then transported him in the morning? Makes no sense, and where to? And if they did torture him for information, did he give them something?"

"There's nothing in his service record that he would turn traitor and looking at his record he doesn't seem like someone who would break easily."

"Yeah but what if they threatened his family. I mean what would you do if they were threatening to kill Michelle, Aiden and Kamran?"

"I would do everything in my power to keep them safe. But with guys like this it probably doesn't matter if you talk or not, they will still hurt your family. We've had an agent on them the whole time and nothing has happened."

"So, what did they want? Something he had access to and once he had given it to them they killed him?"

"Hopefully Kensi and Deeks can get some answers out of our suspect. Someone really didn't want us poking around here."

They found a laptop but it was locked so they took it back for Eric. Other than the place were Harrison was supposedly tortured they didn't find any more evidence of him being here.

They went back to the office and Callen handed the laptop to Eric.

"Any word from Kensi and Deeks?" Callen asked the techs.

"Nothing yet," Nell answered.

Callen went back downstairs and joined Sam in the bullpen. For now they would just have to wait until they would have some new information to go on. There were still things they needed answers too. Most importantly who took Harrison and did he give them any information? And where was the driver taking Harrison?

Thirty minutes later Kensi and Deeks stepped into the bullpen.

"Did he talk?" Callen asked.

"Not really, but we did find an ID on him. Eric and Nell are running a background check on him to see if he may have crossed paths with Harrison before. He asked for a lawyer straight away. He didn't even care that he almost killed four federal agents," Kensi answered. "The only thing he admitted to was setting the warehouse on fire, he didn't say anything about kidnapping Harrison or torturing him."

"But yet he was still found with Harrison's dead body in his trunk and he ran from the police," Callen added.

An hour later the partners of OPS came down the stairs.

"We looked into our guy in the boatshed and into the laptop you guys brought back," Eric started.

"Our guy in the boatshed is Kevin Marshall. He and Harrison sort of know each other. Harrison's wife was actually Marshall's wife before. They separated about two years ago," Nell continued.

"So that would make the kids Marshall's?" Kensi questioned.

"Correct. Their father is Marshall. Marshall was in the service as well but in a different unit that Harrison was. Marshall had a lot of troubles with PTSD when he came back from his trip about three years ago. Things got so bad that Marshall and his wife divorced and about a year later Marshall checked himself into the VA and guess what? He was released a week ago."

"So Marshall and his wife get a divorce," Callen started summing up. "He checks himself into the VA a year later and then when he comes out he thinks he and his wife can maybe try again. That maybe they can be a family again."

"But when he gets out he finds out that his wife remarried and some other man is living with her and his kids now," Deeks finished.

"So what, he decides to grab him on his way home from Pendleton, tortures him and then drives with his dead body in his trunk only to be caught by LAPD," Sam spoke. "We're still missing something."

"It's probably a crime of passion," Callen said. "So that would explain him taking and killing Harrison but where was he taking him?"

"Well," Eric started. "On his laptop there were some emails suggesting he had a partner in all of this." Eric put several emails on the screen with highlighted parts. "There's some chatter back and forth. The first email was sent just after Marshall got out of the VA.

"We have the resources to make Harrison pay," Callen read from the screen.

"There's some chatter with Marshall agreeing to it for a payday. Then no more emails but we did find several text messages on Marshall's phone. He got some messages that he was supposed to bring Harrison to that warehouse and then another one today when you guys were at the warehouse saying he should get rid of your and the evidence. There was also a text early in the morning before he was caught by LAPD." Eric put the text message on the screen.

"Get rid of the body. Drive the car to an abandoned parking lot in Culver City and torch the car," Sam read.

"Do you have any idea who the mails or texts were sent to?" Callen asked.

"The email account is anonymous and only is accessed in an online café and the phone is a burner phone. But the online café the account was accessed from has security cameras. At one time one of the emails was sent there was only one person behind the computer and no one else in the shop was using a laptop, cell phone or tablet and luckily we caught his face on camera," Eric spoke and he put a screengrab on the screen. "Meet Sergi Ivanov, he's a Russian national."

"If Harrison gave the Russian access to something…." Callen spoke.

"That's bad," Deeks stated.

"Very bad, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said as she walked into the bullpen. "I was just on the phone with Harrison's commanding officer. Harrison had access to covert operations, which also included operations in Russia."

"If the Russians find out who those agents or soldiers are," Sam said.

"The correct handlers have already been contacted and the men and women have been pulled out. But we need to find this Russian."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Callen asked Eric and Nell.

"I tracked him from the café and he appears to be staying in a house nearby. Address is on your phones."

"Great work. Let's go."

"Make sure you get this guy Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke before the team left.

Callen nodded and the team left. They grabbed their gear and went to the house. They parked the explorer a little down the road with a view of the house. They didn't spot any movement from the house so they grabbed their SIGS and exited the car. Carefully they made their way up to the house. Callen and Sam went to the front door and Kensi and Deeks went around back. As Sam and Callen approached the house the glass shattered and bullets came flying their way. Sam and Callen quickly ducked behind the car that was parked in the driveway.

"Federal agents! Throw down your weapons!" Sam yelled.

More bullets came flying their way. Kensi and Deeks snuck into the house from around back.

"Federal agents! Drop your weapon!" Kensi spoke as she and Deeks appeared behind the man.

The man turned around and saw two weapons pointed at his face. Realizing he was out numbered he dropped his weapon. Deeks moved in to cuff him as Kensi kept her gun on him. Kensi noticed a laptop standing on the coffee table. She looked at it and it seems as it was uploading something. Quickly she plugged in the USB drive so Eric and Nell had access to it.

"Eric, are you seeing this? We can't let this file be send," Kensi spoke over the com.

"I'm on it." Eric typed really fast on his keyboard, trying to stop this file from being send. "Upload has been disabled."

"Great work Eric."

"We good in here?" Callen asked as he and Sam walked in.

"We're good," Kensi replied.

"He's just not talking. Not English anyway," Deeks added.

"Где вы посылая файл?[Where are you sending the file to?]" Callen asked the man.

The man looked at Callen surprised, he didn't expect him to speak Russian.

"нет нигде.[Nowhere]," the man replied.

"о действительно, вы не просто передать файл в никуда. Последний шанс, Где вы посылая файл?[Oh really, you do not just send the file to nowhere. Last chance, where are you sending the file to?]" The man kept quiet. "Take him away Deeks."

Deeks took the man away and Kensi took the Laptop. They dropped Callen and Sam off at the boatshed with their prisoner and Kensi and Deeks went back to the office with the laptop. Callen went into interrogation but the man wasn't talking. Maybe they could find something off of the laptop.

About thirty minutes later Eric's face popped up on the screen.

"Hey guys," Eric spoke. "I was able to find out where the file was being send to. It bounced off a few points but it originated in Moscow, Russia. The file didn't make it there and the file was in deed the file with covert ops and undercover agents. Hetty has already contacted the agents in Russia and they are on route to apprehend the persons responsible."

"Great work Eric. Have someone come pick up our Russian prisoner," Callen said.

"Will do."

A little later some agents came to take their Russian prisoner away and Callen and Sam went back to the office. The team finished their paperwork.

"Great work everyone," Hetty spoke as she walked into the bullpen as the agents were packing up. "I've heard back and the people in Russia have been apprehended."

"That's good," Callen responded.

"Good work. I'll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," everyone replied.

…..

Maya had been staying with Callen and Zoya for two months already. She had settled in nicely and she was enjoying school. She still missed her parents but it was going fine. Callen and Zoya liked having her around. She was a sweet little girl. In the beginning it was a little bit getting used to but they were used to having a little girl around the house. She had made some friends in the neighborhood who were in her class and she did very well in school. Esme had settled into her new apartment near the house.

It was the weekend before Halloween. Halloween was on a Monday this year. Callen, Zoya and Maya were busy decorating the house for Halloween.

"Aunt Zoya, can we go trick or treating too?" Maya asked.

"Of course we can sweetie, we'll do that tomorrow after dinner."

"But what about the kids that come here then? Nobody will be home to give the kids candy."

"Well, one of us can stay home and the other can go trick or treating with you."

"Okay."

Zoya was busy carving out some pumpkins as Maya helped Callen decorate the house on the outside. It looked really nice and scary once they were finished.

..

Luckily Callen and Zoya could both leave work early on Monday. Maya was already dressed in her costume when Callen and Zoya came back from work. She was dressed as Elsa. After dinner Callen and Zoya went to change too. Zoya was dressed as Anna and Callen was dressed as Kristoff.

"So how does this trick and treating thing go?" Callen asked.

"Well kids show up to the door, ring the bell or knock and when you open they say trick or treat. You give them some candy then. I usually give two pieces a kid. They also love it when you guess their costumes."

"Ah okay."

"You'll be fine."

Zoya gave Callen a quick kiss before she and Maya left. Maya had a pumpkin basket with her for the candy.

Just after Zoya and Maya left the first kids walked up to Callen and Zoya's place. In the front yard were some tombstones and coffins and some pumpkins with lights in them. In the doorway hung some bats and spiders and by the door stood a skeleton that moved when someone approached. Callen heard the kids screaming when the skeleton moved. When the doorbell rang Callen walked up to the door.

"Well, what do we have here. I see an angry pirate, a scary zombie, a beautiful princess and an awesome cowboy. Here you go." Callen put two pieces of candy in each kid's bag.

"Thank you," the kids said before they left.

An hour later Zoya and Maya came back.

"Look what I got uncle Grisha," Maya spoke as she walked up to Callen.

"Wow, you got a lot of candy."

"Aunt Zoya said I could have one piece now."

"Lucky you, which one do you want?"

"This one."

"Alright. Do you need help opening it?"

"Yes please." Callen opened the piece of candy and gave it back to Maya. "Thank you uncle Grisha."

Zoya put the rest of Maya's candy in a jar. When Maya had finished her candy Zoya took her upstairs. She put her in bath before tucking her in.

"Goodnight sweetie."

"Goodnight aunt Zoya, thank you for trick and treating. I really liked it."

"That's good sweetie and you're welcome. Now go to sleep, you have to go to school tomorrow."

Zoya gave Maya a soft kiss before going back downstairs. Once they were out of candy Callen and Zoya took down the Halloween stuff. Zoya went upstairs already. When Callen joined her a little later he stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. Zoya was lying on the bed. She was wearing a hot orange short jumpsuit with high black boots and a handcuff belt around her waist.

"I've been a bad girl special agent Callen," Zoya spoke in a seductive tone.

"Oh you have?" Callen smirked.

"Yes I have. Why don't you come over her and I'll show you how bad of a girl I've been."

Callen didn't have to be told twice. He quickly locked the door and walked over to the bed.

"Did you check on Maya already?" Callen asked before lying down on the bed.

"Yes I did, she's peacefully asleep."

"Good."

Zoya pushed Callen down on the bed and straddled his lap. Callen was still dressed in his Halloween costume. Zoya first took his shirt off. Once it was off she undid the handcuff belt and cuffed Callen hands to each other above his head. They had a soft head end so she couldn't cuff them to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Callen asked.

"I told you, I've been a bad girl. Now be a good boy and keep them there."

Zoya slowly moved down Callen's body. Callen desperately wanted to touch her but he kept his hands above his head. Once Callen was undressed Zoya undressed herself, giving Callen a striptease. He grabbed the metal link of the cuffs hard when Zoya's started pleasuring him. Callen felt so close but then Zoya stopped. Before he could say anything about it Zoya already moved down on him.

"Oh god Zoya," Callen cursed as he came.

They had some fun in the bed before they lay spend next to each other.

"Promise you'll wear something sexy next year," Callen said.

"Promise."

They dressed themselves in their pajamas and unlocked the door before going to sleep. In the middle of the night they were woken up by Maya jumping on their bed.


	31. Chapter 31

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong?" Zoya asked as Maya jumped into her arms. "It's okay sweetie."

"Monsters in my room."

"There's no such thing as monsters sweetie."

"Monsters in my room."

"I'll go check and I'll scare them away okay," Callen told her.

"Be careful uncle Grisha."

Callen went to Maya's room to check it out. He turned the light in Maya's room but he didn't see anything. He checked the room but there was nothing he could find and it didn't look like anyone had been in here. Callen went back to the bedroom.

"There's no one in your room sweetie," Callen told Maya. "I checked your room, under your bed, even in your closet. There's no monster sweetie."

"Are you sure uncle Grisha?"

"Yes Maya, I'm sure."

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"Alright, for just this once okay. But only if you go to sleep like a good girl."

"Yes uncle Grisha."

"Alright then."

Maya crawled in between Zoya and Callen and they all fell asleep again.

…

It was November twelfth today which was Maya's birthday. She was turning five today. It was on a Saturday so Callen and Zoya didn't have to go to work. Maya was so excited about her birthday that she jumped on Callen and Zoya's bed just after 8am.

"Aunt Zoya, uncle Grisha, it's my birthday!" Maya squealed as she jumped onto the bed.

"Hey sweetie," Zoya replied still half asleep. "Yes it is Maya. Happy birthday."

Zoya gave Maya a hug and a kiss.

"Happy birthday Maya," Callen told her and he gave Maya a kiss and a hug too. "Why don't you get dressed so we can have breakfast."

Maya jumped off the bed and ran to her room.

"Good morning honey," Callen spoke to Zoya and gave her a kiss.

"Good morning baby."

Callen and Zoya got dressed as well before going downstairs. Zoya made some waffles for everyone. After breakfast Zoya and Maya left.

"Where are we going aunt Zoya?" Maya asked as they were getting in the car.

"We're gonna have a girl's day. It's a surprise where we're going."

Zoya pulled up of the driveway and made a right onto Via De La Paz and then took a left on De Pauw Street, another left on Bowdoin street and another left onto Temescal Canyon Road. She followed this road until they reached the Pacific Coast Highway. She made a left onto the Highway. She continued to follow this road and it changed over into the Santa Monica Freeway. She followed the Santa Monica Freeway until they came at the exit for Long Beach. Zoya took the exit and they were now on the San Diego Freeway. They followed the San Diego Freeway until they came at the exit for Manhattan Beach. Down the ramp Zoya made a right onto West Rosecrans Avenue. She then took a right onto South Sepulveda Boulevard and then another right onto Park Place. As last she pulled into South Allied Way and found a parking spot.

"What's this aunt Zoya?" Maya asked as they walked in.

"It's a salon and spa. We're gonna get all pretty for your birthday."

"Hello, welcome to Snip-its kids hair salon & spa. How can I help you?" A friendly woman greeted them.

"Hello, we have a reservation here, under Foster."

The woman typed some keys on her computer. "Ah yes I see. Follow me and we'll get started."

Zoya and Maya followed the woman. They got changed into their bathing suits and put a robe on they got from the salon. Zoya had ordered a Mommy and me package for them. They would get mani- and pedicure and a facial.

"Well, we're gonna make you and mommy all pretty," one of the employers spoke as they walked into the room.

"She's not my mommy," Maya spoke. "She's my aunt. My mommy and daddy are not here anymore."

"Oh I'm so sorry sweetie. I'm sorry that mommy and daddy are not here anymore but I'm sure it's also nice with your aunt."

"Yeah it is but I do miss mommy and daddy."

"Of course you do sweetie. Well, let's make you and your aunt all pretty then."

"It's my birthday present."

"Oh how nice. Is it your birthday today?"

"Yes it is."

"Well happy birthday. How old are you now?"

"I'm five now," Maya spoke as he held up five fingers.

"Five already, that's a big girl."

They got everything ready and started on Maya and Zoya's hands and feet. Once they were done they did Maya's hair as well. They made a nice fishnet braid and Maya also got her ears pierced. She wanted that for her birthday. They had a starter-kit with a pair of first earrings. They would have to be in for a while before she could wear different earrings. Once they were done Zoya drove them to Gymboree, which was close by, to get some clothes for Maya. Maya picked a blue dress with white and blue/green floral print with a blue/green sash with bow in the middle, a black cropped cardigan, a bow headband in the same print as the dress, black sparkle tights, gold sparkle ballet flats and a blue butterfly necklace.

"Wow you look like a princess," Zoya spoke when Maya was completely dressed. Maya smiled when Zoya said that. Zoya took a few pictures of Maya. Zoya paid for everything and Maya kept her new clothes on already.

"Thank you for all this aunt Zoya," Maya spoke as Zoya helped her in the car and she gave Zoya a kiss.

"You're welcome Maya."

"Hey G, we're home," Zoya called into the house when she and Maya walked in.

"Hey," Callen called back as Zoya and Maya walked into the main area. "Wow you look very pretty Maya."

"Thank you uncle Grisha," Maya replied with a smile.

"You're a little birthday princess. Did you have fun with aunt Zoya?"

"Yes it was very nice. We had our nails done and they put something on my face to clean it and then they did my hair and then aunt Zoya took me to buy a new outfit for my birthday."

"You look very pretty. Do you want the rest of your present?"

"There's more?" Maya's face lit up.

"Yes there's more. Come on, we have to go upstairs for it."

Maya took Callen's hand and the three of them went upstairs to Maya's bedroom. Callen opened the door to the bedroom and Maya's mouth dropped with surprise.

"OH MY GOD! It's beautiful. Thank you aunt Zoya, uncle Grisha," Maya squealed.

Inside the bedroom now stood a new bed for Maya. It was a castle bed. It was a bunk bed with a playroom underneath the bed. The ladder up to the bed was covered with curtains that were the tower of the castle. There was a bed inside the castle and a slide on the other side of the bed. Underneath the bed was a small opening to go into the covered playroom.

Maya climbed onto the ladder and crawled onto the bed.

"It's beautiful. Thank you!" Maya called from inside the castle.

Maya slid down via the slide.

"I love it. Thank you aunt Zoya, uncle Grisha."

Both Zoya and Callen got a hug.

"You're welcome sweetie," Zoya told her.

Maya went to play in her castle and Callen and Zoya went down to get everything ready for the party. In the afternoon the guests showed up. Zoya's parents were there first. From her grandparents Maya got a Frozen table and chair set with a storage draw. A little later the others showed up as well, Callen's team and Zoya's team were there too. From Eva Maya got a pink Frozen bean bag chair, from Ivan a hopscotch Frozen game rug, from her other grandparents a hello kitty doll house playset, from the OSP team she got a Disney princess scooter and from the OTA team she got LEGO Disney Frozen Anna & Kristoff's sleigh adventure. Maya was really having a good time. Once everyone was there Zoya went to get the cake. It was still a nice November day so they could sit on the covered patio.

"Happy birthday to you," Zoya started and the others chimed in. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Maya, happy birthday to you."

Callen filmed as Zoya brought the cake out. Zoya had ordered a cake with a picture of Elsa and Anna from Frozen on it. Maya blew out the candles once the cake was on the table in front of her. Everyone clapped as Maya was able to blow out the candles in one try. Zoya removed the candles and cut everyone a piece of cake. Everyone was really having a good time. Around dinner time Callen fired up the barbeque. Maya was really tired from everything she did today so Zoya took her upstairs just after 9pm.

"Goodnight sweetie," Zoya said once Maya was in bed and gave Maya a kiss.

"Goodnight aunt Zoya. Thank you for today. I really loved it."

"You're welcome sweetie."

Zoya gave Maya one more kiss before she left the bedroom. Sam and Michelle went home a little later with Kamran and the others followed shortly after that. Callen and Zoya cleaned up before going to sit on the couch.

"It was nice to see a smile on her face," Callen spoke.

"Yeah it was. I'm glad she had a good time."

"Yeah me too. It's good for her that she had a nice birthday celebration after everything that happened."

"Yeah. She really liked the salon trip we did together and her mother had promised her she would get her ears pierced for her fifth birthday so we did that. She was really enjoying herself. Just the employers thought it was her mother."

"Oh yeah that was a bit awkward."

"Yeah a bit but once they got started Maya was loving it."

"Yeah I'm glad she's doing so well."

"Yeah me too. It's nice to have her around the house. She's a sweet little girl."

"Yeah that she is. I'm glad to have her around the house."

"I'm glad you're so okay with it. I'm just glad she was able to stay with family after everything that happened."

"Of course. There was no way I would let her go into foster care. I'm happy to take care of her together with you."

Zoya pulled Callen closer to her and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have a kid of our own."

"Yeah who knows."

They sat on the couch for a while before going up to bed.

….

Today was Thanksgiving. Maya was off from school on Friday and Callen and Zoya were off from work as well. They were going to spend Thanksgiving with Zoya's parents, who lived in Claremont. Since they had the weekend off they decided to make a long weekend off of it. They would spend Thanksgiving with Zoya's parents and the rest they would spend in a hotel. Callen and Zoya loaded everything in the car after breakfast and they pulled away from the driveway once everyone and everything was in the car. Callen drove towards the Pacific Coast Highway and then got on the Santa Monica Freeway. He followed the signs for Los Angeles. He followed the Santa Monica Freeway until the exit for Hoover Street. He followed the signs for Hoover Street and kept left at the intersection. He kept left and followed the signs for San Bernardino and Santa Ana. They were still on the Santa Monica Freeway however. He continued to follow San Bernardino. They were now on the Golden State Freeway. He took the exit for San Bernardino onto the San Bernardino Freeway. He still followed San Bernardino. He continued to follow San Bernardino until they came at the exit for Towne Avenue. Down the ramp he took a left onto North Towne Avenue. He followed the road until they came at the crossing with East Bonita Avenue. Here he took a right and then a left onto North Mountain Avenue and then another right onto Baylor Avenue. Zoya's parents lived on this street. Callen parked the car in front of the house and everyone got out. Zoya had made dessert for tonight, she had made Ptichye moloko cake. This was a Russian dessert. Zoya carried the dessert and Callen rang the doorbell.

"Hey mom," Zoya greeted her mother when she opened the door.

"Hey you three, come on in."

"Hey grandma," Maya greeted her grandmother and gave her a hug.

"Hey sweetie."

Zoya's brother and sister were there too. Zoya and Maya went to help Vera and Eva in the kitchen as the guys sat around the living room. Once the preparing was done Maya went to the living room.

"Uncle Grisha, will you play a game with me?"

"Of course sweetie, which game?"

Maya and Callen went to find a game Zoya's parents had and they sat at the dining table to play the game. Maya had chosen kids' monopoly. Callen let Maya be the bank but helped her with calculating the money. As they were busy Zoya walked into the dining room.

"Hey sweetie, are you having fun with uncle Grisha?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah, I'm winning."

"Of course you are."

Zoya went back into the kitchen and Callen and Maya finished their game. Maya won in the end.

Just past 6pm everyone sat down to eat. They had turkey with beans, mashed potatoes, bakes potatoes and peas. Dinner was really delicious, everyone was having a really good time. After dinner they cleaned up before everyone departed for their homes.

"Where are we gonna stay aunt Zoya?" Maya asked once they got in the car.

"It's a surprise, but it's somewhere nice."

Callen pulled away from the curb and took a left onto North Cambridge Avenue and then another left onto Harrison Avenue. He drove towards the crossing with North Towne Avenue and took a right here. He followed the road and got onto the ramp for the Foothill Freeway towards San Bernardino. He followed the signs for San Bernardino and after that the signs for Redlands and Big Bear onto the Martin A. Matich Freeway. They got off at the exit for Waterman Avenue. Down the ramp Callen took a left onto North Waterman Avenue. They followed the road and it turned into the Rim of the World Highway. He followed the road and took the exit for Crestline onto the 138. He went straight at the crossing onto Lake Drive. He followed the road and then pulled into the parking lot for the Sleepy Hollow cabins and hotel. They went to the reception.

"Good evening, welcome to Sleepy Hollow. How can I help you?" A friendly woman behind the desk greeted them.

"Good evening. We have a reservation here, under Foster," Zoya replied.

The woman typed some things on her keyboard. "Ah yes I see." She went to get the stuff for them. She put a map on the counter. "Here is your cabin. You can take this road and it will lead to your cabin. You can park the car at the cabin. There's a folder inside the cabin with information about the hotel and things you can do around here. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you."

Zoya took the map and the keys and they went back to the car. Callen drove as Zoya gave the directions. A little later they were at their cabin. Callen parked the car in the covered driveway and they grabbed their stuff out of the car before walking up to the cabin.


	32. Chapter 32

They walked up the wooden stairs and came on the deck. At the far end stood two lounge beds and a picnic table, but it was a bit too cold now to sit outside. The walked up to the door and Callen opened it. To the right was the living area with a brown leather sofa, which could be pulled out as a sleeper sofa, two ivory fabric arm chairs, a coffee table, a fireplace with above it the TV. Behind the living area was the dining area and kitchen. In the kitchen stood a wooden table with blue paws and four chairs and a bench around out in the same colors. The kitchen had wooden cabinets and a wooden countertop. It contained a fridge and freezer, a stove with oven, a microwave, coffee maker and dishwasher. To the right were sliding doors leading to the deck with an outdoor barbecue. To the left of the front door was a hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathroom. The first bedroom was the smaller bedroom, it was at the front of the house, looking out on the driveway. It contained two single beds with a nightstand with table lamp in between them and a closet. The master bedroom was at the front of the cabin on the right side, the window looked out on the driveway. The bedroom had a California pillow top king size bed, two nightstands with table lamps and a closet. The bathroom was on the other side of the hallway, behind the kitchen. It had a shower and tub in one, a vanity and a toilet. The bathroom had white tiles. The cabin looked very cozy. The cabin had free wifi, heating and air conditioning. There also was a daily maid service at the resort. It was already past 10pm so Maya went straight to bed, she had fallen asleep in the car however already, after brushing her teeth and putting her pajamas on.

"Goodnight sweetie," Zoya told her as she tucked her in.

"Goodnight aunt Zoya. Thank you for taking me here."

"You're welcome sweetie."

Zoya gave her a kiss before leaving the room. Callen and Zoya sat in the living room for a while before going to bed as well. This part of California was much colder around this time than it was in Los Angeles. During the day the temps dropped below fifty Fahrenheit(ten Celsius) and at night they were around the freezing point.

Callen was up around 7.30am the next morning so he went to Goodwin's market just around the corner to get some groceries. When he returned the others were still asleep so he just sat in the living room reading the newspaper he had bought. Around 8.30am Maya came into the living room, followed by Zoya.

"Good morning uncle Grisha," Maya spoke.

"Good morning Maya."

"Good morning Grisha."

"Good morning Zoya." Zoya walked over to Callen and gave him a kiss. "I've already done grocery shopping so breakfast is ready."

"Great thanks."

They pulled the stuff for the breakfast out and sat at the table to eat. After breakfast they showered one by one before going to Lake Gregory, which was close by. It was a nice sunny day so they could go onto the lake. They rented a pedal boat and pedaled out onto the lake. The surroundings were so beautiful. It was a bit cold outside so they had their winter coats on with hats, gloves and scarfs. They stayed on the lake for about an hour before going back to the cabin. Once they were in the cabin Zoya made them all a nice cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows to warm up. They stayed in the cabin for the rest of the day and watched some TV and played some games. Around dinner time Zoya went to prepare dinner.

The next day they went to Thousand Pines after breakfast. They had a lot of fun things to do there. It was another beautiful day, the sun was shining but it was still a bit cold. They first went to do ropes course. Zoya went first, then Maya and then Callen so they could both help Maya. After the ropes course they first had lunch before going to do some Frisbee golf and also some target ranges where they shot with bows and arrow. Maya was having a really good time. She was actually quite good at it all. Zoya and Callen had taken some pictures throughout the day. They also had an arts shop there so Maya went to make a little painting. She was pretty good at arts at school so she made a nice flower painting.

"That's beautiful sweetie," Zoya said once it was done. "We'll hang that up at home."

"Can it hang in my bedroom?" Maya asked.

"Of course it can."

The went to eat at McDonald's before going back to the cabin. Maya got in the bath once they got back in the cabin before going to bed.

The next day they just relaxed around the cabin before checking out. Callen packed everything up in the car as Zoya did one last sweep of the cabin to make sure they didn't forget anything. They went to the reception and handed the keys to the cabin back. They got their deposit back, since someone had already come and inspect the cabin. Zoya got back in the car and Callen pulled out of the parking lot.

"The news feed just said that there has been an accident on the Foothill Freeway, it's completely closed off and they say it could take a while and because of that it's also really busy on the Pomona Freeway," Callen said.

"Guess we better drive around then via Riverside."

"Yeah that was what I was thinking too."

Callen drove toward Arrowhead and got onto the Martin A. Matich Freeway. Instead of driving straight onto the Foothill Freeway Callen took the exit towards Riverside onto the San Bernardino Freeway and he followed the signs for Riverside onto the Riverside Freeway. He continued to follow Riverside/Beach Cities. He kept driving on the Riverside Freeway and followed Los Angeles. He took the exit for Los Angeles onto the Santa Ana Freeway and still followed the signs for Los Angeles until they came at the exit for Santa Monica onto the Santa Monica Freeway and he followed the signs for Santa Monica. They followed the Santa Monica freeway until it changed over into the Pacific Coast Highway. From there they drove back to their house in Pacific Palisades.

…

The next day they had to go back to work again. Esme was at the house to take Maya to school.

"Have a good day at school today Maya," Zoya told her and gave her a kiss.

"Be good to Esme," Callen added and gave her a kiss too.

"Bye uncle Grisha, bye aunt Zoya."

"Bye Maya."

Callen and Zoya went to their cars.

"Have a good day today honey and be careful," Zoya spoke to Callen and gave him a kiss.

"I will, you too."

"Always."

Callen gave Zoya another kiss before they got in their cars and drove to work.

"Morning," Callen spoke as he walked into the bullpen.

"Morning," Kensi, Deeks and Sam replied.

"How was your Thanksgiving weekend?" Sam asked.

"It was good. We went to Zoya's parents and after that we went to Lake Gregory and stayed in a cabin there. It was very nice but I'm glad to be back in LA again. It's only about two hours from here but it's colder there, especially the nights. But we had a good time. How about you?"

"It was good, spend Thanksgiving at home with Michelle's family and we just had a quiet family weekend."

They were interrupted by Eric's whistle and they knew what time it was.

"What do you have Eric?" Callen asked as the agents walked into OPS.

"This morning a federal building was broken into," Eric started explaining. "LAPD responded to the alarm but the thieves got away."

"Did the thieves take anything?" Kensi asked.

"The CEO said there were two hard drives missing."

"What was on the hard drives?" Callen wanted to know.

"A list of all the secret agencies in America, including the addresses. Our office and the OTA are on that list. Cus of the sensitive nature of the information on the hard drives SECNAV has asked us to look into it."

"Anything on the thieves?" Sam asked.

Eric pressed a few keys on his tablet and a video appeared on the screen. They saw three man on camera. "The thieves wore masks on the cameras so no luck with facial reg. The outside camera did however caught them getting into a car. Kaleidoscope tracked the car to a motel in Culver City, address is on your phone. So far I haven't been able to find out in which room our thieves are."

"Alright, see if you can find out anything more about the thieves. Sam and I will go to the motel. Kensi, Deeks, you take the office. See if you can get some information from the employees or if the thieves left something behind," Callen said.

"You got it," Kensi replied.

"Also, Eric, Nell, alert the offices on that list that they may have been compromised. I'll call Zoya."

"Okay," Nell answered.

With everyone knowing what to do they left. As Sam drove them to the house Callen called Zoya.

"Hey G," Zoya answered the phone.

"Hey Zoya, look we just caught a case. Some hard drives have been stolen from a federal building. On the hard drives was a list of secret agencies in America with the address. Your office was on it too, so I want you to be careful. Your office could have been compromised."

"Oh, thanks for the heads up, we'll keep our eyes open. I suppose your office is on there too?"

"Yeah it is. SECNAV has asked us to look into it."

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah, we've got it. If we need your help we will let you know."

"Alright, be careful."

"Always. Love you."

"Love you too."

Callen hung up the phone. A little later they were at the motel Eric had tracked the car to. The car was still in the parking lot. Callen and Sam looked around them.

"Which room are they in?" Callen asked.

"We could ask the manager."

They walked up to the manager's room and knocked on the door.

"Good morning gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"I'm special agent Callen, this is my partner special agent Hanna," Callen spoke as they showed their badges. "We were wondering if you know which room the ford mustang belongs to."

"Not sure, but I haven't seen it before here."

"Any recent check-ins?" Sam asked.

"Uh, let me check." The manager grabbed the form or rooms rented out. "Two rooms recently rented out. One checked in last evening and the other two days ago."

"Do you know who's in the room?"

"The one that checked in last night was a woman and the others were a couple of guys."

"That's gotta be our guys," Callen stated. "Which room are they in?"

"Room 4B, at the end to the left."

"Alright thank you."

Callen and Sam walked up to the room. Callen knocked on the door and Sam stayed hidden with his gun drawn.

"Who is it?" A voice was heard from inside the room.

"It's the manager."

The man behind the door opened it. "You're not the manager."

"I'm just filling in for him. I just wanted to make sure that everything is in order or if you needed something."

"I'm fine thank you. Sorry but I'm kinda in the middle of something."

"Sorry to disturb you. Just, one more question."

"I said I'm busy man," the man spoke and pulled a gun on him.

"Federal agents!" Sam spoke, coming out from his hideout. "Put it down."

The man put it down as Callen grabbed his gun as well. Sam pulled the man outside and Callen went in. With his weapon drawn Callen cleared the room. He heard something in the bedroom. He opened the door and found someone behind a laptop.

"Federal agent. Step away from the laptop." The man kept on typing. "I'm not gonna ask again, step away from the laptop."

The man suddenly pulled a gun out. Callen was faster however and shot him. Callen moved closer to him and cleared him of his gun. He checked the man, he was dead.

"G?" Sam called into the room.

"I'm good."

Callen checked the laptop. Whatever he was just doing was now decrypted. Callen would take the laptop back to the office for Eric. Sam walked into the bedroom.

"He was working on something but it's now decrypted so it's a job for Eric. He is however not breathing anymore. He pulled on a gun on me. How about your guy?"

"Not talking yet. I thought Eric said there were three of them. Where's the other?"

"Don't know. Maybe he split."

"Or maybe he'll come back shortly."

LAPD showed up at the scene. They quickly took the body away and left in case the other guy would come back. Some agents had come to pick up their suspect and took him to the boatshed as Callen and Sam sat on the motel room, waiting to see if the other guy would come back. Callen plugged a flash drive into the laptop.

"Eric, are you getting the laptop?" Callen asked through the coms.

"Yes I am. Not sure if I can get everything this way."

"Just see what you can find. We'll drop it by the office later."

"Will do."

Callen and Sam kept watch on the place. They had been here over two hours now but no one had showed up. Kensi and Deeks showed up to relieve them. Callen and Sam first dropped the laptop off at the office before going to the boatshed, where their suspect was still in interrogation.

"Thanks Mike," Callen spoke to the agent as they walked into the boatshed. "We've got it from here."

Callen and Sam walked into the interrogation.

"Finally, I've been here for like forever. You can't keep me here."

"Actually we can Jimmy," Callen spoke. Eric had found his ID. His name is Jimmy Miller. He has been arrested before for B&E. "We're federal agents, and the place you broke into this morning falls under our jurisdiction, so we can keep you here as long as we want."

Callen sat down opposite from him and Sam pulled up the other chair.

"What did you do with the hard drives you stole this morning? Cus we didn't find them in your motel room."

"You must want them back real bad huh."

"Where are they? And where's your buddy? We know that there were three of you."

"I'm not telling you anything. Guess you'll have to see for yourself," Jimmy spoke with a smirk.

"Do you have any idea what's on those drives?" Sam said. "You've endangered a lot of good people."

"Good people, pffff. There's nothing good about them. Besides we were just doing what we were told."

"Told by who?" Callen asked.

"I don't know," Jimmy shrugged his shoulder. "My buddy Riley handled communications."

"And where can we find Riley?"

"Don't know. He bailed, don't know where he went. He said he was going to deliver the drives. Don't know where."

Realizing they didn't get any more out of him they called agents to come pick him up. After that they went back to the office.

"Anything on the laptop?" Callen asked Eric as he walked into the gadget room.

"No, not yet. It's some heavy decryption."

"Alright, keep at it."

Sam had gone upstairs to give Nell the name Riley and what else Jimmy had told them. The partners sat down in the bullpen waiting for new information. Kensi and Deeks were still on stakeout.

"There are a lot of people who would pay top dollar for that list," Callen stated.

"Yes they are. I wonder who hired them to steal it and what they are gonna do with it. They are gonna attack every secret office in the States, in the hopes of trying to take the agents out?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it that a list of all the secret offices is out there."

"Me neither."

Callen's phone rang, he saw that it was Zoya.

"Hey Zoya," Callen answered the phone.

"G, you've gotta come here. I think the people who have that list have begun targeting the office. We're under attack."

"We'll be right there." Callen hung up the phone. "Gotta go Sam, Zoya's office is under attack, probably from the guys who have the list."

As they were walking out of the bullpen alarm bells sounded and the entire office of special projects went on lockdown.


	33. Chapter 33

Callen and Sam looked around to see what the hell was happening. Callen tried to call Zoya but his phone was getting no signal. Hetty came walking out of her office.

"Hetty, do you know what's going on?" Callen asked.

"No, I didn't do this shutdown and I can't call upstairs to OPS."

"Zoya just called, her office is under attack too. Could be this is the work of the people who got that list."

"We need to barricade everyone upstairs in OPS," Sam stated.

The three of them took everyone upstairs. Kensi and Deeks were still out on the stakeout.

"Nell do you have your gun in here?" Callen asked.

"Yes I have."

"Good."

"Are the people who bought the list breaking into our office?" Eric asked scared.

"Probably."

"Great, just great."

"Lock the doors as soon as we're out. Nell, if someone besides us comes in here shoot them."

Nell nodded and Callen, Sam and Hetty went back out. As soon as they were out Eric locked the doors. With their guns drawn they stood on the balustrade waiting to see what was going to happen. Suddenly the windows shattered and several grenades were thrown in. The three dove to safety but not in time. The grenades exploded, sending them flying. Hetty flew against the door of OPS, Sam against one of the support columns and Callen was flown down the stairs. Callen quickly looked around to see where his gun was, luckily it was lying just next to him. Callen quickly picked his gun up and hid behind the stairs as men with masks came into the building and started shooting up the place. Callen started shooting back at them and heard gunfire from upstairs so Sam and/or Hetty were firing at them as well. They managed to shoot all of them. Sam went to get everyone out of OPS. There was still some smoke in the building from the grenades so they all went outside.

"G, you good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Good too."

The fire department had already been alerted and was at their office soon. Callen's cell phone still didn't have a signal so he got in his car and drove to Zoya's office. It was close by so he was there in a couple of minutes. The fire department was at Zoya's office as well. Callen wanted to walk up to the office but was stopped.

"Agent Callen, NCIS," Callen spoke as he showed his badge.

"It's okay, you can let him through," Hailey called.

Callen walked underneath the tape and up to Hailey. "Where's Zoya?"

"I don't know. We can't find her."

"What?!" Callen yelled. "Is she still in there?"

"I don't know. She was by herself when the attack happened. Nobody has seen her. The firemen are checking now but it could also be she was taken. Was your office attacked too?"

"Yeah, just after Zoya called our office went on lockdown. Someone had done that from the outside or something. Grenades flew in and masked men came in and started shooting."

"Same here. We shoot a couple of them. They are dead but as far as we can tell two got away. Was someone taken from your office as well?"

"No, we locked the support staff up in OPS. Two of our agents were out on a stakeout. When I left they all seemed to be there. If your office and my office was hit I wonder how much more offices."

"Yeah, this could be national. Do you have any idea who this could be?"

"We have some leads but no main suspect yet."

"Well since Zoya has probably been taken we'll help you."

"Thanks."

Zoya's operations manager walked up to them. "The firemen checked the entire building but they didn't find anyone."

"So Zoya has been taken?" Callen asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah it looks like it."

Damn it! His wife has been taken. Callen was beyond pissed right now. He needed to find her and fast. He knew Zoya could take care of herself but he still needed to find her. "Do you have any leads?"

"Maybe the cameras caught something," Hailey said. "Liam, get over her."

"What's up Hailey?" Liam spoke.

"Do you have access to the security cams?"

"I think so." Liam grabbed his tablet and typed a few things. "What are you looking for?"

"See if you can find Zoya and who has taken her?"

"Let me check. Do you know where she was?"

"I think she said she was going to the armory."

"Alright."

Liam typed some things on his tablet and together with Hailey and Callen they looked at the footage.

"There she is," Callen spoke. They continued to watch the video and they saw a man appear on the screen. "Can you get a clear image of his face?"

Liam looked to see if he could find an image of his face but the man was wearing a hoodie. There was no camera angle that caught his face but Liam did find an outside camera which caught the van the man was driving and he caught a license plate. Callen pulled his phone out and called Eric.

"Eric, can you track a license plate for me? 7 – Charlie – Steven – Richard – 8 -2 -1. Zoya was taken."

"On it," came the reply from the tech. "They are clearing up the office so we're gonna work out of the boatshed."

"Okay. Let me know when you've found the car."

"Will do."

"We're gonna get her back Grisha," Hailey told him. "Zoya is tough, she can take of herself."

"I know, but I would still like her back."

"I know, me too."

"Our techs and agents have set up in our boatshed. Maybe we should all head there too cus it doesn't seem like you'll be going into the building anytime soon."

Hailey looked at the building and the firemen busy with it. "No probably not."

The agents and techs grabbed their stuff and followed Callen to the boatshed.

"Any luck Eric?" Callen asked as he walked in, desperate to get his wife back.

"No nothing yet. Kaleidoscope had it for a second but I lost it again."

"Keep looking."

"Maybe I can help," Liam offered.

The techs sat down at the table and started looking into every information they could find on who did this. They still needed to find their missing thief as well.

"Did you find anything on Riley?" Callen asked.

"No, not yet. I tried to track him from the motel but no luck. Kensi and Deeks called in and said they haven't spotted him yet."

"Alright, keep looking."

Callen sat down on the couch.

"Don't worry G, we'll find her," Sam tried to reassure his partner.

"I really hope so, I can't lose her."

"We will and she's tough, she can take care of herself."

"I know, but we don't know what kind of sick monsters are holding her."

"We'll find her G, I promise."

"I wonder if more offices were hit."

"Yes there were Mr. Callen," Hetty spoke as she walked in. "I received word from SECNAV that multiple NCIS agencies in America have been hit."

"Why would they target NCIS offices?" Callen asked. "Nell, any connection our thieves have with the Navy or NCIS?"

"Not that I've found so far," Nell answered.

"Okay, keep looking."

..

Zoya came too in a dark room and she noticed she was tied to a chair. The last thing she remembered was that their office was under attack and that she had called Callen. Why didn't he came? Was their office under attack as well perhaps? Who had taken her? Who was after their office? She tried to think back to recent cases but nothing stood out besides there were a lot of people who wanted to have a list with the secret agencies in US on it. A lot of people would pay top dollar for that. What could they want with the offices? If they wanted to kill everyone they would have done it at the office probably. Had they taken her to get information out of here or to lure the others here? If Callen was okay he was probably looking for her now. Zoya hoped everything would be okay. There was only a small window in the room but it was covered with wooden planks so there was very little light in the room. Zoya tried to listen to any voices but she couldn't really hear anything, just some slight noises in the backroom but they were too soft to make out what they were. If it were voices she couldn't understand what was being said.

….

"We may have something," Eric called after about an hour.

"What have you got Eric?"

"Kaleidoscope tracked the van that was used to abduct Zoya to a warehouse in Mar Vista. The warehouse has been vacant for a few months now. The warehouse doesn't have a camera pointed at the door but the van went into the street and the only thing there is this warehouse."

"Alright got work. Let's gear up."

"We're coming with you," Hailey stated.

"Of course. Gear up."

They all put their gear on and left for the warehouse. Both team took the explorer and drove to the warehouse. On the way there Callen called Kensi and Deeks and asked them to meet them there. The van was parked in front of the warehouse.

"Hailey, we'll take the front, you take the back."

"Copy that."

The teams moved into position. "Move in my count. Three, two, one," Callen counted down and the teams breached the warehouse.

With their rifles drawn the teams cleared the warehouse but there was no sign of Zoya or anyone else. There was nothing there that pointed to Zoya ever being here.

"Eric, the warehouse is empty."

"The van went into that street, I'm sure of it."

"They are not here Eric. Is there anywhere else in this street they could have gone to?"

"I don't have eyes in the street but it's a dead end and the warehouse is the only building on that street."

Hailey and her team turned the entire warehouse upside down to see if there was any lead as Callen went outside and the others followed him.

"What are you looking for G?" Sam questioned his partner.

"To see if they could have gotten somewhere else. Eric, are there any other exits in the warehouse?"

"Not that I can see on cameras. According to the blueprints there is a back door but it leads into an alley that can only be accessed via this road, no cameras in the alley."

"Alright Eric, see if you can find her somewhere or if you can find Riley."

"Will do, will let you know if we find something."

"Thanks Eric. Where have they gone?" Callen spoke to Sam.

"They parked the car here and Eric said he hasn't spotted anyone coming or going after the fan drove into the street," Sam said.

They looked around after taking their gear off. There weren't many places they could have escaped to. There were buildings on the other side of the street but they didn't have doors or windows in them. It were just walls on this side. Callen noticed a fire escape on the side on the building. The bottom ladder was a bit above the ground but it was possible to get on there and pull it down.

"Eric, any cameras on the buildings on the other side of the street. There's a fire escape. They could have escaped through there," Callen spoke over the com.

"Alright, I'll look."

"Sam, help me get that ladder down."

Callen and Sam moved to get the ladder down. Once it was down they climbed onto the fire escape and up to the roof. Maybe they could find some evidence here that Zoya had been there. They all looked around to see if something had been disturbed or if Zoya maybe had left a clue behind for them.

"She was here," Callen suddenly spoke.

"How do you know G?" Sam asked his partner.

"Cus this is hers," Callen replied, holding up a necklace. "Eric, look for ways they could have exited this building."

"Which building?"

"The one across the street from the warehouse. They got up via the fire escape. There's a door, probably leading into the building. See if you can find them there."

"On it."

"We may have a possible location on Riley," Nell chimed in. "Address is on your phones."

"Thanks Nell. Kensi, Deeks, go check it out."

"Will do."

Kensi and Deeks went back down the fire escape and went to the address. Callen and Sam went into the building to see if they could find any more clues on where Zoya was. This building was an apartment building.

"Nell, see if any residents in this building stand out, maybe Zoya is inside this building."

"On it Callen."

Callen and Sam went downstairs to the manager's office.

"Agents Callen and Hanna, NCIS," Callen spoke as he and Sam showed their badges. "Have you perhaps seen this woman here?" Callen showed him a picture of Zoya on his phone.

"No, sorry. Is she inside this building?"

"We have reason to believe so. Any residents that stand out to you?"

"No, not really. Everyone keeps to the rules, no loud noises and such. But there is this guy. He's a little distant. Only been here about two weeks. At first I thought he was just a bit shy or that he kept to himself a lot but there was someone weird about him."

"Weird how?" Sam asked.

"It's just a vibe I got from him, but I don't have had any complaints about him so I didn't do anything about it. But he seems kinda shady to me."

"Shady enough to have kidnapped someone?" Callen asked.

"Yeah perhaps. He would have these friends over sometimes and they had this shady vibe too."

"What apartment is he in?"

"5B."

"Alright thank you."

"Something I need to worry about?"

"Nah, we got it," Sam said.

Callen and Sam walked upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Hi, can I help you?" The man asked once he had opened the door.

"Hi, we're with the city and we're doing a residents inquiry about how they like living in this part of Los Angeles. Mind if we ask you a few questions?" Callen spoke.

"Sorry, but I'm kinda busy at the moment."

"This won't take long sir," Sam said.

"Sorry, maybe another time."

"Of course, sorry to disturb you. Thank you for your time."

Callen and Sam pretended to walk to the next door and the man closed the door.

"Did you see what I saw?"

"Yes I did. Zoya's in there."

"Ready?"

"Always."

Sam knocked on the door across the hall to get the people to safety in case they would start shooting and the bullets went through the door. Once they were clear Sam kicked in the door.

"Federal agents!" Sam yelled.

They had to duck away from some flying bullets. They fired back whenever they could but they saw the man getting out of the window with Zoya and going onto the fire escape. Zoya was tied so she couldn't really do much and she was outnumbered three to one. Once they were out of the window Callen went into the apartment as Sam went down to cut them off. Callen climbed out of the window after seeing that it was safe and went down after them on the fire escape that was on another side of the building than the one the team went up on.

"Federal agent!" Sam yelled as he cornered them down the stairs and Callen came in from the other side, but ducked away so they couldn't see him but Sam did see him.

"Drop you weapons or she's dead," one of the men spoke as he grabbed Zoya and he put a gun to her head.

Sam looked at Callen who nodded. They had been partners for so many years, they knew what the plan was by just looking at each other. Callen quickly shot the two other guys as Sam shot the man that was holding Zoya in his leg, causing him to let go of his grip of Zoya. Zoya had some room so she knocked her head back and punched him with her elbow. Sam came in and cleared him of his gun as Callen came in too. Callen cleared the other two guys of the guns. Once they were cleared Callen moved to Zoya and undid her restraints.

"You okay Zoya?" Callen asked as he cupped her face.

"Yeah I'm fine. I'm good."

Callen pulled her in for a hug as Zoya's team came around the corner. They had heard the gunfire.

"Zoya!" Hailey yelled. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Where were you?"

"They had taken me to the warehouse but then they told me to go onto the fire escape and they took me to an apartment there. Luckily Grisha and Sam found me."

"We climbed onto the ladder and I found Zoya's necklace. Eric hadn't spotted them on any camera so we thought she was probably still in the building. With some help of the manager we found her."

"Well thank god you found her."

"Was your office attacked too?" Zoya asked.

"Yeah it was, that's why I couldn't come to you. Just after you called we were attacked. Kensi and Deeks are checking out our missing thief."

They searched the apartment and found some texts on where to take Zoya next. The team geared up, including Zoya and they went to the address. They looked around the building but couldn't find anything suspicious so they went in. They cleared the entire building, no one was there. Suddenly bullets came flying their way.


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Here it is, the final chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it.**

* * *

The agents quickly ducked away and fired back whenever they could. After a few minutes the bullets stopped flying and all the perps were down. They were all dead except for one.

"Everyone okay?" Callen called.

"Good," came the reply of several agents.

"Zoya you okay?" Callen asked as he looked at Zoya and he noticed some blood on her sleeve.

"Yeah, it's just a graze, don't worry. I'm good."

The paramedics came and took the injured bad guy away after patching Zoya up. The other two agents of Zoya's team accompanied him to the hospital as the other agents searched through the building. They found some papers and emails on the laptop that proved that this was the group that had the list. As they were looking Callen's phone rang.

"Yeah Kens," Callen answered the phone.

"We found Riley, we're taking him to the boatshed for questioning. We found the flash drive with the list on it in his possession and also a laptop on which he had put the list."

"That's good. We have Zoya and we found the people who had taken her. It seems they were the ones that had the list. I'll send you some pictures so you can show them to Riley."

"Okay good."

Callen hung up the phone and sent Kensi the pictures of the faces of the men. The agents finished up at the building before going back to the boatshed.

"Hey Zoya, welcome back," Liam spoke when Zoya walked back in.

"Thanks. Did you check out our perps?"

"Yeah we did. They guys you busted at the building were Russian. They had some contact with Riley and bought the list from him."

"We checked out the things Kensi and Deeks brought back from Riley. Riley had contact with several people but we could only find one selling, that was to the Russians," Nell told them. "We do have contacts of the other people interesting, but they are not in LA. We send the information over to other agencies closer to them."

"Great work."

"We checked the laptop and the flash drive. He didn't send it to anyone else and the flash drive was only accessed via this laptop," Eric said.

"Okay good."

"And what about the other NCIS agencies?" Sam questioned. "Do we know who attacked them?"

"Yeah we had contact with them and they all captured the perps."

"That's good."

Kensi and Deeks got a lot out of Riley, after threatening him a bit he sang like a bird. They finished up at the boatshed and everyone went back to their own offices.

"Thank you for coming to get me," Zoya spoke before she left.

"You're welcome honey. I got so scared when I found out you had been taken. As soon as our office was safe I came to your office but I was too late already."

"I'm fine honey. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, I just don't like it when my wife is taken."

"I know you don't but I'm fine." Zoya gave Callen a kiss. "I'll see you later at home."

"Yeah see you."

Callen gave Zoya one more kiss before they got into their cars. They finished up their paperwork before going back home.

…..

It was Christmas in two weeks. Callen and Zoya had to work till the twenty-third, then they were off until after the new year. Callen, Zoya and Maya were getting ready to decorated their house for Christmas. It was the first Christmas they would spend together as a family and the first Christmas Maya would spend without her parents.

"Aunt Zoya, can I help decorated the Christmas tree?"

"Of course."

"Can I put the tree topper on? Daddy helped me put the tree topper on last year."

"Of course you can sweetie. We'll wait till uncle Grisha is done outside and then he can help you put the tree topper on okay."

"Okay."

Callen was busy grabbing all the Christmas stuff. Zoya and Maya decorated the inside while Callen went to decorate the outside. They had a fake Christmas tree so Zoya and Maya first set the tree up. They put the tree in the corner right of the doors leading to the patio. Once the tree was up they first put the lights in and then started decorating it. Zoya really enjoyed decorating the tree with Maya. Maya hung the things on the lower branches and Zoya hung them on the higher branches. After they had finished the tree they went to decorate the house. Zoya hung the stockings on the fire place and they put some Christmas decorations around the house.

Callen was busy decorating the outside. He had hung some lights on the wooden planks covering the pathway to the front door, put a snowman with lights near the front door, placed a string of lights on the fence, a Santa with sled and reindeer lights on the lawn and hung strings of lights on the house.

Once Callen was done outside and cleaned up he went back inside. Together with Maya he put the tree topper on. He picked Maya up and Maya put the tree topper on the top of the tree. Zoya took a picture of Callen and Maya.

"I have a few things for in the tree. I wanted to wait until we were all here." Zoya went to retrieve a box. "I bought these earlier. Why don't you open it Maya?"

Maya put the box on the table and sat down on the ground to open it. There were six ornaments in the box. The first one Maya took out what a heart shaped ornament with an open heart with decorations in it around it. In the middle heart was a picture of Maya with her parents.

"This way they can be here for Christmas too."

"Can I put it in the tree?"

"Of course you can."

Zoya tied a knot in the ribbon and Maya hung it on the branch. Right in the middle of the tree, where everyone could see it. In the box were also five initial hangers with diamonds in it. A M for Maya, a G for Grisha, a Z for Zoya, a D for David and an E for Emma. Callen and Zoya tied the knots in the ribbons and Maya hung them up.

"Thank you aunt Zoya. They are really nice," Maya said and gave Zoya a hug. "This way my mom and dad are here too for Christmas."

"Yes they are sweetie."

The house look really nice with all the Christmas decorations. Christmas was Zoya's favorite holiday. Zoya also had some Russian Christmas decorations. One the mantle stood a few Christmas Matryoshka dolls, in the tree hung a few Russian ornaments and around the house stood several Matryoshka dolls as well. Zoya was raised with Russian Christmas traditions and she knew David and Emma did that as well so she wanted to pass those on to Maya as well.

…

Today was the last day before the Christmas break. Luckily Callen and Zoya were both done with their cases so they could spend Christmas free from work.

"Are you doing something nice this year with Christmas?" Sam asked as he and Callen were sparring. "You know, since this is the first Christmas with Maya."

"We're gonna spend Christmas Eve at home with just the three of us and we're gonna do a fry-up. We asked Maya what she wanted to eat for Christmas Eve and she said a fry-up. So we're gonna do that. Christmas day we're gonna go over to Zoya's parents for dinner. Between Christmas and New Year's we're gonna go away for a few days and then New Year's Eve Zoya's family and Emma's parents are coming over to our place. How about you?"

"Aiden is home for Christmas, so we're gonna spend Christmas Eve with the four of us and then Christmas day we're gonna spend it with Michelle's family. New Year's eve we're gonna spend at home with just the three of us. Aiden probably has got to go back already then."

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing good. I'm proud of him."

"That's good."

"How do you like having Maya around?"

"She really is a sweet girl. She has settled in very nicely with me and Zoya. She's doing very well in school and she has made some friends in her class and neighborhood. Of course she still misses her parents but she likes it with us. Zoya and I like having her around."

"And what about you and Zoya? Anything about you two having a baby?"

"We have talked about it and we would both love it. We're not getting any younger so we are trying it just hasn't happened yet."

"These things take time sometimes. It doesn't always happen on the first try."

"Yeah I know. Zoya is just worried that after her miscarriage it might not happen again. She even went to the doctor to make sure everything was in order but the doctor said that everything was fine and to just be patient. I know Zoya really wants to have a baby together with me."

"What about you? Do you want to have a baby?"

"I never thought I'd be any good at being a father but now with Maya around I have to say I like it. But she's four already and not a little baby anymore. I have no idea what it's like with a little baby around. I like the idea of having a baby with Zoya, I just don't know if I'd be any good at it."

"I see how you are with Maya. I'm sure you'll be a great daddy for your little baby."

"I hope so. I would be very happy to have a baby with Zoya. I hope it'll happen for us."

"A few years after Aiden was born Michelle had a miscarriage too. Michelle was worried too that it wouldn't happen for us anymore and then we got Kamran."

"Michelle had a miscarriage? I never knew that."

"Yeah. Aiden was about three when it happened. When she didn't get pregnant after that she worried that it would never happen again. We had a beautiful son and we both loved him very much but we wanted to have another baby too. We were about to give up when Michelle found out she was pregnant with Kamran. All I'm saying is, don't give up hope. I'm sure it'll happen."

"I hope so."

They finished their training. After taking a shower they finished up their paperwork before the office Christmas party. After the Christmas party they went home for the holidays.

"Hey," Callen called into the house as he walked in. Esme was there looking after Maya since Zoya had a Christmas work party too.

"Hey Grisha," Esme greeted her.

"Zoya not home yet?"

"No not yet. Did you have a nice Christmas party?"

"Yeah it was nice. How did things go here?"

"Things went fine. Maya fell straight asleep when I put her in bed."

"That's good. Thank you for staying longer."

"It's my pleasure." Esme grabbed her things. "Well enjoy the holidays and I'll see you in the new year."

"Yeah you too. If you change your mind, you're welcome here on Christmas Eve."

"Thank you but I'm gonna go to my family after all. Their other plans didn't go through."

"Ah okay."

"But thank you for the offer. Oh yeah before I forget, I have some presents for Maya. Can you give them to her?"

"Of course."

Esme went to retrieve the Christmas presents from her car and handed them to Callen.

"I'll see you in the new year. Enjoy the holidays."

"Thanks you too."

Just as Esme pulled away from the curb Zoya pulled into the driveway.

"Hey honey," Callen greeted his wife.

"Hey honey." Zoya grabbed her things from the car, walked up to Callen and gave him a kiss. "Did you also just come home?"

"Yeah I did. How was the party?"

"It was nice. What have you got there?"

"Some Christmas presents Esme bought for Maya."

"That's sweet of her. She's gonna join on us Christmas Eve?"

"No, she's going to her family. Their other plans didn't go through."

"Ah okay. Is Maya asleep already?"

"Yes she is."

"Okay good."

….

Today was Christmas Eve. Callen, Zoya and Maya were really looking forward to spending the holidays together. Zoya went to the store early to get everything they needed for dinner tonight. Once Zoya had returned they all changed into their Christmas clothes. Zoya wore a dress with a white silk top with furry look and a red bottom with red floral print. She finished the outfit with white panty hose and red pumps. Callen was dressed in a pair of dress jeans and a dark blue and white plaid shirt with a dark blue jacket. Maya wore a dress with a white top with a candy cane, two green bows and some smaller white bows and the text glitter, sparkle and shine with a green tutu bottom with white dots on it and a pair of white leggings. She finished the outfit with braids in her hair and white dress pumps with a bow on it. In the afternoon they watched a Disney Christmas movie together. After the movie had ended they went to prepare the dinner. They were going to do a fry-up so they didn't need to bake or cook anything but they did have to cut some things and bake the bread in the oven. Maya helped with setting the table and putting the stuff that didn't need to be cut in bowls.

Just after 6pm they sat down to eat. Callen and Zoya helped Maya with baking her meat and putting things on her plate. Everyone having a really good time. In the background soft Christmas music was playing. They all ate very well. They were all full when they stopped. Callen cleaned up as Zoya took Maya upstairs. Zoya put Maya in bath first. After bath Maya changed into her Christmas pajamas. It were red pants with white dots and a white top with several silver snowflakes on it and in red Merry & Bright.

"Do you think Santa knows I live here now?" Maya asked as Zoya tucked her in.

"I'm sure he does sweetie. And you sent letters to Santa in which you told him you live here now so I'm sure he knows. Don't worry about it. Santa will bring you presents here too."

"Will he bring presents for you and uncle Grisha too?"

"I'm sure he will. Tomorrow when you wake up there will be lots and lots of presents under the tree, I just know it. You have been a very sweet girl and Santa knows that so you'll get lots of presents. But only if you go to sleep like a good girl now."

"Can you read a story?"

"Of course I can." Zoya grabbed the Christmas book they were reading an read a chapter to Maya. "Now to sleep." Zoya gave Maya a soft kiss on her cheek and tucked her in.

"When you and uncle Grisha go to bed, will you come wake me so I can go sleep downstairs so I can see Santa?"

"Yes we will, you can sleep on the couch."

"Okay. Don't forget to put the milk and cookies ready."

"I won't. Goodnight sweetie."

"Goodnight aunt Zoya."

Zoya turned the big light off and went downstairs after closing the door. She and Callen sat on the couch and watched some TV.

"You know, I really liked it tonight, together with Maya," Callen stated.

"Yeah it was nice. I know she missed her parents but it's nice that we can give her a nice holiday too. She's always gonna miss them at moments like this but I think she had a nice Christmas Eve."

"Yeah I think so too. I've gotta say, I really liked having Maya around."

"Yeah me too. She's a sweet little girl."

"Yeah that she is. I never really saw myself as a father figure and I thought if I would become one I had about nine months to get used to the idea. With Maya we kinda jumped into it but I like being a father figure to her and I think I'm doing an okay job."

"You're doing very well honey. I can see Maya loves you. We will never be able to replace her parents and I don't want to but it's good for her to grow up in a nice family environment."

"Yeah, I really like being a family with her and who knows, maybe we'll expend that family someday. I know you're worried about it not happening yet but I'm sure it'll happen for us soon enough. The doctor said that everything was fine and that these things take time sometimes. I hope one day we'll be lucky enough to have a baby off our own. I know I would love to have a baby with you."

"Yeah I would love that too. You want something to drink?" Zoya asked as she got up from the couch.

"Yeah, I'll take a beer."

Zoya went to the kitchen and got some drinks. When she returned on the couch she handed Callen a present.

"I know we're doing presents tomorrow morning but I wanted to give you this already."

"What's this?"

"Just open it."

Callen took the presents and opened it. Inside he found a Christmas tree ornament. It was a photo frame. The photo frame had a white edge and silver and red snowflakes on it. On the bottom stood "Best gift ever" and there was a photo inside the frame. Callen looked at the photo. I looked a lot like… wait this was real? Callen looked at Zoya and smiled.

"Is this for real?"

"Yes it is."

* * *

 **The end. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Don't worry, there will be a sequel.  
**


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